Some Sick Chickens, Diarrhea (& yucky pictures)

[k3fuller]

Hello,

I need some help figuring out a problem with my flock. I've got about 35, mix of young barred rocks about 15 weeks old and 9 older (2-3 yr) mix of 4 Australorps and 4 barred rock hens with an Australorp Rooster. About a month and a half ago I noticed the Roo was having watery diarrhea. When it didn't go away after a while I cooped him up and tried him on a week of tetracyclene + Vitamins which didn't do anything. Then I tried him on a short course of neomycin + Vitamins. That didn't seem to do anything either. When I first cooped him up he was acting with a lot less energy than normal and I noticed he didn't crow. He seemed to perk up some after the neomycin and I let him be with the rest of the flock. He still doesn't crow and is acting mostly normal but still has watery diarrhea. I'm now noticing diarrhea from some of the other birds that is brownish and soft. (though I'm color blind so I took pics in case I don't see the color right) Anyway, everyone is acting pretty normal. Egg production from the older hens is way off but that seems normal for this time of year due to light reduction and their age. So I'm not sure what to try next. I have a variety of things here because I raise Turkeys too. For reference, Meds on hand include: Tylan, Sulmet, Neomycin 200, Duramycin, Aureomycin. I also have a concern about the younger chickens because they are coming off their starter (I think BMD50 is in the Purina StartNGrow) and don't want them to get something. I'm including some pics of the droppings... Yuk!

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

-Kemp

 

[justusnak]

I am seeing the same thing here, in my flock...and was wondering if it might be worms??? Sure does stink up a storm!! I hope someone has a good answer.....for us both.

 

[Crazy4Chicks]

I wish I had some answears for you both - but I have the same thing going on here with a couple of my Americana's , they have been doing this since the day I got them from the hatchery( almost 5 months ago ) the rest of my flock has normal poop. All are eating drinking fine they all have plenty of energy, and are still friendly with me and my roo is crowing ( all the time lol) so other than a few of them with yucky poop they are a normal flock.
Wish someone here knows what is going with all of our flocks.

Julie

 

[Pinenot]

Maybe you should try just some instant oatmeal and mix it with some yogart for a few days. That should get them to have harder stools and the yogart will help balance the system back out.

 

[HenHaven]

I agree with Pinenot, get the yogurt started. I hope the experts show up soon to offer their advice!

 

[dlhunicorn]

...actually the pic looks like the once-a-day caecal poo ... (however if all their poos are looking like this you might consider worms )
Here is the link to my collected articles on POO and how to interpret what you are seeing:
http://dlhunicorn.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=poos&action=display&num=1158478320

 

[silkiechicken]

I agree, looks like cecal poo, but the orange-yellow nature is making me lean towards worms too. Cecal poo is usually a bit more brown.

Could be food they are getting into too.

 

[Crazy4Chicks]

Since a few of my birds are doing this also - should I go ahead and treat them all for worms?
also how do you treat for worms?? my birds have been doing this since I got them from the hatchery !!


Julie

 

[k3fuller]

If its worms, I got something called Wazine 17 over at the feed store on Saturday. I’ve never used that but I figure I can hold up the auto-waterer and water them from a 5gal waterer with that in there. Dosage instructions aren’t that great 2oz/2gal per 100 so I figure it’s probably 1oz/1gal for my 35 is close as I can come. Looks like withdrawal is 14 days.

Their feed is a Purina laying ration with a daily dose of scratch in the yard and a couple hours free range out and about. Who knows what they find out there but pickings are getting slim now that we’re entering winter. The Turkeys haven’t seemed to be picking up anything out there and they all mingle together so there’s also the possibility that the Turkeys are carriers of something too.

I’m afraid I need a primer on cecal poo… I read through the link that dlhunicorn posted and have done lots of other reading and this doesn’t fit cleanly into any of the categories of symptoms in my books or the links I’ve read. I see cecal worms and there’s cecal coccidiosis, but if it was coccidiosis they should be dead or listless behaviorally and the droppings didn’t look bloody. So, please help me with what cecal poo is. I understand the Ceca’s physiological position in the intestinal tract but that’s not helping me much.

Thanks for being helpful!

 

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
Then it is their cecal poo and you dn't have to treat if all else is healthy with them.