What could this hen have?

[maureenclaire]

For about a week and a half this one hen has been acting strange. I first noticed she was very dirty. I have a group of hens that has taken to roosting in a tree next to our coop. This sick hen was getting pooped on. I also noticed her vent area was a mess of matted poop. I brought her inside and bathed her. Within a few days she was back to this.

She stays away from the rest of the flock, seems to eat last, and kind of sulks around but I think this is more than a bottom of the pecking order issue. I have had her quarantined for two days now and she seems the same, no decline. All I had was hygromyacin in pellet form so I dissolved a few in a waterer. I also gave her apple cider vinegar in the waterer. When I picked her up to cage her she seemed really bony. She does have watery poops and she is not laying eggs. She eats and drinks very well. Could it be worms? Why does no other chicken in my flock show any signs of illness? I disinfected all the waterers with peroxide and scrubbed them and soaked them in peroxide for 20 minutes. I put about half a teaspoon of tea tree oil in the large waterers too. I have 13, 6 week old chicks right now, 21 hens and 9 ducks. I can't have an outbreak of some sort. I I have about an acre so I'm not too cramped for my flock size. I just need to know his to help this hen and keep illness from spreading. Any help is greatly appreciated. So few people I know have knowledge about birds. Thank you!

 

[Shabana]

I would worm so that you know it's not an issue.
I would also check her crop is emptying properly in a morning and that there are no mites in the coop. I only wonder as you said they have started to roost in a tree. Maybe that's why.
Give her a protein boost too.

Hope she goes on ok xx

 

[dawg53]

I don't recommend using tea tree oil...it might be your problem:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/408353/warning-tea-tree-oil-can-be-toxic

 

[maureenclaire]

I got up before the chickens and removed the tea tree oil from their waterer. Since I have ducks too I picked up Wazine because treating the water is probably my best option. Thanks for the info on the tea tree oil. I figured since VetRx had essential oils in it that tea tree would be ok but I'm not taking any chances. The babies have only been in a separate pen outside so I'm wondering if I should treat them too. They are about 6 weeks old. Can someone point me to a post where I can find dosing instructions for this product? Thanks so much.

 

[maureenclaire]

I've checked for mites and found nothing but still used diatomaceous earth in the coop, all over the tree where they sleep and where they dirt bath most often. I did this over a month ago. And they used to roost in another tree but they just moved closer to the tree by the coop. I still have lots of girls who sleep in the coop. What can I look for on the bird to see if she has mites? I also gave her some eggs and cucumber this morning and she gobbled it down. She seems a bit more perky and not as listless. I put a garlic chunk in her waterer last night and today I'm going to try the Wazine.

 

[kari_dawn]

is it possible she is egg bound? Is she roosting at night, or staying on the ground? How old is she? Probiotics might be helpful too.

 

[maureenclaire]

She was roosting, just under the other chickens in lower branches. I felt her vent area when I bathed her and again when I caged her and she feels empty. That's when I noticed she felt a little bony...however I'm not an expert so I really don't know his bony is too bony. Ah this is nerve wracking. I was getting ready to start integrating these new juveniles in and now I'm terrified. I'm going to bathe her and let her soak in a little warm water for a while just to totally eliminate egg binding.

 

[maureenclaire]

I would worm so that you know it's not an issue.
I would also check her crop is emptying properly in a morning and that there are no mites in the coop. I only wonder as you said they have started to roost in a tree. Maybe that's why.
Give her a protein boost too.

Hope she goes on ok xx

is it possible she is egg bound? Is she roosting at night, or staying on the ground? How old is she? Probiotics might be helpful too.

What type of probiotic? I take them for my gut. Can the chickens have a diluted version of what I take? Is the apple cider vinegar helpful for that too? Should I wait until after the wormer treatment to give probiotics?

 

[maureenclaire]

I forgot to answer your one question about age. She is two years old. I've also read they can have problems going into their second year of laying. I'm so frazzled. I was up until 4am on here reading and scouring over pictures of "healthy poop". I actually had nightmares my chickens had bloody poops because I'm stressing so bad.

 

[KayTee]

How many feeding posts do you have? If she feels bony and underweight, and is lowest in the pecking order, it could simply be that she is not getting enough to eat, especially if now that she is isolated she is eating as if she is ravenous.

If you only have one or two feeding posts for a large number of chickens, it could be that each time she goes to one she gets pushed off by someone else. I have recently introduced 3 new girls to my flock, and have noticed that even though they are accepted in the free range area by the others, if there is food around they will get chased or pushed off by one of the existing flock. I have placed a feed bowl slightly out of sight of the main flock area, and picked up the new girls and put them there to show them where it is. The others don't bother them when they eat there, because as as far as the main flock are concerned, it isn't a 'proper' feeding place!