thin and smelly

[paduanchook]

i have a couple of marans crosses and after returning from traveling(my dd takes care of them when im gone) I noticed they were thin and smelled bad. they are active and eating, is it cocci or something else? antibotics or ? for treatment? thanks, mark oh yeah, they are about 3 mo old

 

[crazyhen]

Check the food you are giving them. They should not be really skinny. Smelly, they do get a bit smelly but if you keep the pen really clean that helps a lot. Do they have runny poo? Or bloody poo? If not no intervention until you know what you have. Just feed and water good. Do you use the apple cider vinegar in their water? Mine seem to do well with it. It retards bacteria in their water and they really thrive. They may just be going through their teenager years. LOL. They also about once a week or so will have what is called cecal poop. Whew! it is loose and smelly but the rest of the time it should look normal. I hope this helps some If you want you can give them some yogurt. It helps their digestive system. Jean

 

[SussexInSeattle]

When mine (chicks) were smelling raunchy I asked in here a couple times about runny poo and stink and too many people assured me this was normal until the day I finally got bloody diarhea! I would get that SelMet stuff and treat them ASAP. If they are not old enough to produce eggs as it is, there is nothing to worry about. If they are producing eggs, you just can not eat the eggs for 2 weeks.

EDIT: I was also told about the apple cidar vinegar and all it did was prolong the disease until I mixed the chicks with the rest of my flock and had to treat EVERYBODY! I say GET THE MEDS! Don't wait.

EDIT 2: If your gut is telling you that something is not right, Listen to yourself. I kept thinking in my head something was wrong and kept getting talked out of treating. Don't make the same mistake.

 

[paduanchook]

ive been feeding them game bird grower and started them on apple cider vinger and giving vitamins....i just think they are skin and bones. they seem active but i just dont wont to wait until its too late

 

[crazyhen]

Again are they having diarrhea? I don't think you answered that. If they are by all means give the sulmet. But if they are not having diarrhea. It won't help. in fact it can cause intestinal bleeding on its own. Jean

 

[sammi]

yes...describe the droppings..color and consistency..

did your Dad give them chicken feed, or kitchen scraps, etc..?
how old are they?
are they laying?

don't give kitchen scraps right now..just the feed and fresh water.
some cooked eggs won't hurt..IF they don't have cocci..

have they been wormed?
if so, when? and what was used?

 

[chickenzoo]

If they were being fed properly and still lost weight, I would be concerned. I would use Corid, for coccidia. Anytime my birds lose weight that fast, coccida is the first thing I treat. Corid is a little easier on them then Sulmet and I can give them a small amount straight in the mouth to make sure they are getting it (Corid only). Gamebird chow is high in protein and coccidia thrives on high protein. I would give a reg. low protein chicken growth feed. Then up the carbs.