Please forgive in advance, the subject matter here. It is not pleasant ! I have a very large Welsummer - she is quite beautiful, is moulting at the moment ( winter in Australia ) ... and is also still laying approx. 5 eggs per week. Which is rather unusual. She is happy and healthy in herself.
She has always deposited very very large amounts of bowel, from the time she became a fully grown hen. Recently, with the weather and moulting, she has had quite a few very 'off' squits - raises her tail and lets out a stream of very soft bowel with a bit of watery fluid. Overnight, she deposits in her sleeping box, normal droppings.
There are times ( because I don't sleep well and find I have to catch up in the a.m. ) that I don't let them out until 10 or 11 in the morning. By the time I get out there, they are frantic at the door to be let out. Yesterday I was up early and let them out sooner. Her dropping outside that morning - although huge was normal.
My question - can stress cause a hen to deliver very soft droppings ? I am hoping your answers are yes. As I said, she is hale and hearty - loves foraging in the garden, and the treats I give them in their ( currently barren ) run. OR ... is moulting and laying at the time adding to the stress which in turn causes this reaction - outside in their run ? She can be relied upon to 'give it up' within a couple of minutes of being let out.
This might seem like a ridiculous question, but I would like to know if anyone else has had similar experiences with their Welsummers ? My other chickens have normal droppings of expected size, most all the time.
Cheers ........ AB
