What disease? Worms, or something else?

[theawesomechick]

My white leghorn pullet is about a week and a half older than our other chickens, but ever since week 8, she's been considerably smaller than our other two pullets. Her comb is small and a pale orange color. Her BFF, a brown leghorn, is larger than her, and has a deep red comb that flops over. The pullet in question drinks a lot of water, eats a little less food than I would like her to, and has had diarrhea since Day 1. Today, her stool was a light pink color and had a red dot in it. Could she have worms? Or is it another problem?

She's the small white one on the middle right.



Again, the small white on on the middle right.



Here's a picture from a while back.


I didn't manage to catch a picture of the stool (forgot about it

), but I'll get a picture ASAP.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Could the red dot have been blood? Sounds like it could be coccidiosis. Had they been on medicated or non medicated feed?
If non medicated, you could get some 9.6% corid/amprolium and put it in the water at a teaspoon per gallon for 5 days.

Otherwise I would get some probiotics in her. Eventually that should correct the diarrhea. You could start with some plain yogurt. Better yet get something like this.
http://www.gro2max.com/
It is formulated with 5 kinds of bacteria and yeast especially for chickens. A 3.5 oz. packet treats 28 gallons of water or 400 pounds of feed so it goes a long way.

 

[Judy]

I agree. The thing about cocci is, there almost have to be some present; it's a matter of whether the amount may be a bit overwhelming for her. The diarrhea may be no more than lots of drinking, and her smaller size may just be her genetics. Leghorns are small birds, and I believe the white run smaller than the brown, too. The floppy comb is normal for Leghorns, by the way. I had one whose comb always covered one eye.

 

[casportpony]

Whenever I have one that looks off it gets weighed daily in grams, dusted for bugs and de-wormed. Then, depending on what the poop looks like, treated for coccidiosis or bacterial infection if needed.

Weight loss or lack of weight gain is often the most common first symptom you'll see, that's why I weigh daily on a digital kitchen scale.

-Kathy

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Daily weighing is a splendid idea.
I keep forgetting to do that.

 

[casportpony]

Another option would be to take in a stool sample to the vet and have them check it for bacteria, parasites and yeast ( I only mention yeast because that what my vet found in my peahens poop two weeks ago). I also took a stunted/runt peachick and she found just gram negative bacteria in it, which she said was unusual for a chick raised indoors. She suggested that I could treat him with Baytril 10mg/kg twice a day and see if that helped with his weight gain, but I've decided not to since his poops look fine and he does gain about 20 grams per day.

Office visit for both - $45
Fecal Float - $25
Gram stain/yeast - $30

-Kathy

 

[theawesomechick]

She is on medicated feed. This is the first time there has been unusual-colored stool, except for the times when the chickens all pig out on veggies... None of my chickens will get anywhere near me, so the weighing thing isn't an option. She seems happy, and her behavior is normal, and I've heard that with cocci they're supposed to be lethargic. What really worries me is her habit of sort of throwing up water in the feeder and feed in the waterer. What could this mean?

Surprisingly enough, we had our first egg today!!!!!!!! and it was white, which means that the White Leghorn laid it, right? Unless Delawares or Brown Leghorns lay white eggs... Can we eat the egg?

 

[casportpony]

She is on medicated feed. This is the first time there has been unusual-colored stool, except for the times when the chickens all pig out on veggies... None of my chickens will get anywhere near me, so the weighing thing isn't an option. She seems happy, and her behavior is normal, and I've heard that with cocci they're supposed to be lethargic. What really worries me is her habit of sort of throwing up water in the feeder and feed in the waterer. What could this mean?

Surprisingly enough, we had our first egg today!!!!!!!! and it was white, which means that the White Leghorn laid it, right? Unless Delawares or Brown Leghorns lay white eggs... Can we eat the egg?

I've never seen a chicken that couldn't be caught while roosting at night.

-Kathy

 

[theawesomechick]

Well then, looks like my chickie is going to have lots of fun being weighed in the middle of the night!

Do Brown Leghorns of Delawares lay white eggs?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

...

Office visit for both - $45
Fecal Float - $25
Gram stain/yeast - $30

-Kathy

Thanks for that information.

...
Surprisingly enough, we had our first egg today!!!!!!!! and it was white, which means that the White Leghorn laid it, right? Unless Delawares or Brown Leghorns lay white eggs... Can we eat the egg?

All Leghorns lay white eggs regardless of variety. Variety is the feather color, breed determines shape of bird and egg shell color.
Delawares lay brown eggs.

I've never seen a chicken that couldn't be caught while roosting at night.

-Kathy

All my coops are built with access doors along the roost or are walk-in coops. All my handling birds is just after dark or just before dawn. There's no way to catch one of these wild creatures during the day without giving the whole flock undue stress.