Very runny poop for a month, feed store recommended Sulfadimethoxine

[ryan408]

Hi All,

I have a Bronze Sex-linked (I think that's what she's called) that has had very runny poop, like almost water consistency, for about a month now. I have 3 hens but the other 2 seem to be fine.

She's still active, no other signs of distress, just very bad diarrhea.

I've tried Googling a bit about it and tried feeding her sour cream with active culture as well as garlic powder mixed in the water. Apparently the garlic powder might help with worms and the bacteria in the sour cream might help her intestinal tract get its groove back. But neither really seemed to help.

The folks at the feed store recommended Sulfadimethoxine and I bought a pouch of the powder, but the dosages are all for cattle or for large poultry watering systems.

First, is this the right treatment for very runny diarrhea? Can it hurt to try?

Second, does anyone know how much of the powder to put in the waterer? I use just a standard gallon size hanging waterer.

Thanks much for your time,

Ryan

 

[tdgill]

do you know what the feed store said you were treating with the meds?

 

[chickeepoo]

Try this link with dosage chart from the helpful links post:
http://www.texaspoultry.com/Dosage Chart.html

 

[Chickenmaven]

I would try plain yogurt. Also, baked whole garlic seems to set my girls "right" when they seem less than perky.
My issue with antibiotic use is that antibiotics tend to CAUSE problems in the digestive tract, so I dunno...doesn't sound like a good solution.

 

[ryan408]

I haven't tried baked garlic, but did try giving them raw garlic. They wouldn't touch it initially, but later it was gone. I can't tell if they ate it or it just got buried in the straw in their coop.

I've mixed plain yogurt with lots of garlic powder, and they thought that was pretty good. But it didn't improve the diarrhea. I'll try baked garlic and see if that helps.

I don't really want to use antibiotics, but after exhausting the more natural remedies I could find I'm worried that if I don't get her "right" it'll lead to even more trouble for her.

 

[Chickenmaven]

A month is a long time. I would consider taking a sample to the vet for a fecal flotation.