Suspected Clostridium in my chicken

[Carrie Irwin]

Hi, I have noticed for about a week a lot of soupy looking chicken poo on the poop board in the morning, and for the last couple of days the same poop had undigested food in it. I have pinpointed which chicken it is, my Ameraucauna, and she while she is eating she doesn't seem herself. I have searched the internet high and low and her symptoms seem to point to clostridium. I am trying to find a vet in the area that could see her, but in the meantime, should I separate her from the flock and feed her anything special to try and help her? If it is clostridium, I realize I will need antibiotics. Until I can get her to a vet though, any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[littlefarmgirl9]

Definitely keep her separated, it sounds highly contagious. If she's really important to you, take her to a vet. If not I think just keep her comfy with food and water available. I don't know much about it, but I did come across this:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/846/necrotic-enteritis/
Not too helpful, but whatever.
Hope they're ok!

 

[Eggcessive]

Clostridium perfringens is everywhere in the soil. I would, stir and keep the bedding dry and clean, or think about changing it. Have you noticed any blood in the droppings or treated for coccidiosis in the past? I am not an expert on necrotic enteritis, but the vet would need to do a gram stain on the droppings for clostridium, as well as a fecal float to look for worms and coccidia. Make sure that she is drinking enough fluids. Many antibiotics can be used to treat clostridium, including amoxicillin, Tylan, and many others. According to articles, it is most common in young chickens between 2-7 weeks old, and more common in meat birds. I have seen a few here on BYC with older birds that had it. Here is some reading:
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/necrotic-enteritis/overview-of-necrotic-enteritis-in-poultry
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/101/necrotic-enteritis/
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/846/necrotic-enteritis/
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/6/diseases-of-poultry/184/necrotic-enteritis/

 

[Carrie Irwin]

Thank you for the info. She seemed to perk up today. I have a vet appt. for her on Friday and will be taking a fecal sample. I will update on what her prognosis is.

 

[Carrie Irwin]

She is also going through her first molt and I wonder if the diarrhea is from that. I have another chicken going through an even worse molt and her droppings are normal. What has me concerned is the undigested food.

 

[littlefarmgirl9]

My EE, Cocoa, has always had runnier poop than the others, sometimes with bits of food in it. However, she is usually the most energetic and healthy. Maybe it's nothing to worry about, just keep an eye on her. The vet will be able to help more.

 

[Carrie Irwin]

I had a fecal test done on her and there were some parasites, but the vet said they were nothing to be alarmed about or required medication. Her diarrhea seems to have gone away and she's got loads of energy and is eating everything again, so as of now I am not concerned.