what is wrong with my chicken

[Shelbysoobs]

She lost her feathers from suspected feather picking and they haven’t come back yet, I suppose they won’t until she molts? But I’ve given her baths and cleaned her up several times, dewormed, used ivermectin pour on…. And her butt still looks like this. She seems to itch and scratch too with her beak under wing area. I’m tired of trying to figure this out, her back is bald too. It’s been several months. Still laying vigorously and acting like her normal self. What gives?! Her poop is a thick, runny, tarry liquid and I have not noticed urrate on her “diarrhea”, they aren’t solid normal chicken poop but not liquid watery diarrhea consistency either. Just this yucky dark brownish color pictured on waterer lid.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Do you see lice or mites on her?
Do you have a rooster?

Some hens just have runny poop, but if you wish to deworm her, use different dewormer.

Give her bum a good washing and apply some Miconazole to the vent to see if that helps. It doesn't look quite like Vent Gleet, but she's got either urates or a discharge around the vent.

To treat most worms that poultry can have except for Tapeworm you can use Safeguard (Fenbendazole) or Valbazen (Albendazole). Both are given orally by weight; they do not mix well with water.

Safeguard dose is 0.23ml per pound of weight given orally once a day for 5 days in a row.
---OR---
Valbazen dose is 0.08ml per pound of weight given orally once, then repeated in 10 days

Here's how to give oral medications:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

 

[Shelbysoobs]

Do you see lice or mites on her?
Do you have a rooster?

Some hens just have runny poop, but if you wish to deworm her, use different dewormer.

Give her bum a good washing and apply some Miconazole to the vent to see if that helps. It doesn't look quite like Vent Gleet, but she's got either urates or a discharge around the vent.

To treat most worms that poultry can have except for Tapeworm you can use Safeguard (Fenbendazole) or Valbazen (Albendazole). Both are given orally by weight; they do not mix well with water.

Safeguard dose is 0.23ml per pound of weight given orally once a day for 5 days in a row.
---OR---
Valbazen dose is 0.08ml per pound of weight given orally once, then repeated in 10 days

Here's how to give oral medications:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

Where do you purchase Valbazen? I see fenbendazole / safe guard on Amazon and at my local feed store, but I tried deworming with capsules that had the same active ingredient and think I should try Valbazen instead. I think the capsules weren’t an accurate enough dose and I effed up the repeat dose timing.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Where do you purchase Valbazen? I see fenbendazole / safe guard on Amazon and at my local feed store, but I tried deworming with capsules that had the same active ingredient and think I should try Valbazen instead. I think the capsules weren’t an accurate enough dose and I effed up the repeat dose timing.

You can order Valbazen online. https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=30E07949-7B6A-11D5-A192-00B0D0204AE5

Yes, if you purchase those poultry dewormer5x capsules, they may not have been that effective.
Discussion and dosing of those capsules can be found in this thread.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/are-these-normal-poops.1553393/

 

[Shelbysoobs]

You can order Valbazen online. https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=30E07949-7B6A-11D5-A192-00B0D0204AE5

Yes, if you purchase those poultry dewormer5x capsules, they may not have been that effective.
Discussion and dosing of those capsules can be found in this thread.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/are-these-normal-poops.1553393/

I just read the linked thread and that is the exact dewormer capsule I tried. Agh. Can’t believe the dosing instructions on the label are so much less than needed. I barely got down 1 capsule and DEFINITELY couldn’t do 13. I ordered the Valbazen. Wish I knew to get it for my poultry first aid kit when I ordered the elector PSP a few months ago.

 

[Shelbysoobs]

I just read the linked thread and that is the exact dewormer capsule I tried. Agh. Can’t believe the dosing instructions on the label are so much less than needed. I barely got down 1 capsule and DEFINITELY couldn’t do 13. I ordered the Valbazen. Wish I knew to get it for my poultry first aid kit when I ordered the elector PSP a few months ago.

It is really encouraging to know now though why my chickens weren’t getting any better.

 

[Shelbysoobs]

Do you see lice or mites on her?
Do you have a rooster?

Some hens just have runny poop, but if you wish to deworm her, use different dewormer.

Give her bum a good washing and apply some Miconazole to the vent to see if that helps. It doesn't look quite like Vent Gleet, but she's got either urates or a discharge around the vent.

To treat most worms that poultry can have except for Tapeworm you can use Safeguard (Fenbendazole) or Valbazen (Albendazole). Both are given orally by weight; they do not mix well with water.

Safeguard dose is 0.23ml per pound of weight given orally once a day for 5 days in a row.
---OR---
Valbazen dose is 0.08ml per pound of weight given orally once, then repeated in 10 days

Here's how to give oral medications:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

I didn’t see lice or Mites but I know they are really really small so I’m not sure if I missed them? I haven’t had any crawling on me or seen any on the eggs or seen any crawling on their bare butts when I go to roost with a flash light at night … I use coarse sand and first Saturday lime in my run … however fecal float test I did for two chickens that seem the worst both came back negative for worms. However I guess it’s possible they have internal parasites that didn’t show up in the testing. I am planning on treating still with Valbazen when it arrives, and I dunked all my birds in Elector PSP tonight in case they have external parasites I am inexperienced at finding. But should I be concerned for tapeworms?

One of my chickens is lethargic and was being attacked by the other hens, she has lost so much weight she feels like she has wasted away to practically nothing but still is with us somehow (I’ve been trying to help her for Months and she is still hanging on, I’m nervous she has an untreatable illness like cancer or something), she spends a lot of time on the roost, reduced appetite and drinking, very minimal droppings.

Two have bare backs and bare butts (the worst was pictured on this thread), her neck is bare as well, with some irritated red areas. Their skin seems irritated overall, both still laying eggs and acting normal. Only one (the one pixtured) has abnormal poops.

One had seemed completely fine the whole time, lol, but is now getting disheveled neck and tail feathers and losing them in the run (most likely molting).

Two lavender orpingtons have normal poops but one is starting to get dirty butt because of all the fluff in the vent area and after the elector PSP dunk I noticed her chest and butt was somewhat barer than I expected it to be with wet feathers when compared to her sister.

So I’m not sure if these symptoms help indicate what might be going on because I feel like I’m not quite doing enough to help them get back to baseline health.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I didn’t see lice or Mites but I know they are really really small so I’m not sure if I missed them? I haven’t had any crawling on me or seen any on the eggs or seen any crawling on their bare butts when I go to roost with a flash light at night … I use coarse sand and first Saturday lime in my run … however fecal float test I did for two chickens that seem the worst both came back negative for worms. However I guess it’s possible they have internal parasites that didn’t show up in the testing. I am planning on treating still with Valbazen when it arrives, and I dunked all my birds in Elector PSP tonight in case they have external parasites I am inexperienced at finding. But should I be concerned for tapeworms?

One of my chickens is lethargic and was being attacked by the other hens, she has lost so much weight she feels like she has wasted away to practically nothing but still is with us somehow (I’ve been trying to help her for Months and she is still hanging on, I’m nervous she has an untreatable illness like cancer or something), she spends a lot of time on the roost, reduced appetite and drinking, very minimal droppings.

Two have bare backs and bare butts (the worst was pictured on this thread), her neck is bare as well, with some irritated red areas. Their skin seems irritated overall, both still laying eggs and acting normal. Only one (the one pixtured) has abnormal poops.

One had seemed completely fine the whole time, lol, but is now getting disheveled neck and tail feathers and losing them in the run (most likely molting).

Two lavender orpingtons have normal poops but one is starting to get dirty butt because of all the fluff in the vent area and after the elector PSP dunk I noticed her chest and butt was somewhat barer than I expected it to be with wet feathers when compared to her sister.

So I’m not sure if these symptoms help indicate what might be going on because I feel like I’m not quite doing enough to help them get back to baseline health.

It's good that you have treated for parasites.

Unfortunately, laying hens can be prone to having reproductive disorders - Cancer, EYP, Internal Laying, etc. So the sickest one may be suffering from one of these conditions, it's always hard to know unless you lose them and have a necropsy through your state lab which will give you a report. You can investigate further on your own looking at internals to see if you find anything obvious, a lot of folks do that.


Often the best you can do is treat symptoms as they arise. Address parasites, keep the hens fed and watered, etc.

 

[Shelbysoobs]

It's good that you have treated for parasites.

Unfortunately, laying hens can be prone to having reproductive disorders - Cancer, EYP, Internal Laying, etc. So the sickest one may be suffering from one of these conditions, it's always hard to know unless you lose them and have a necropsy through your state lab which will give you a report. You can investigate further on your own looking at internals to see if you find anything obvious, a lot of folks do that.


Often the best you can do is treat symptoms as they arise. Address parasites, keep the hens fed and watered, etc.

Would you agree this damage would be from feather plucking / pecking and not external parasites ?

 

[Shelbysoobs]

Would you agree this damage would be from feather plucking / pecking and not external parasites ?

Missed pictures. Also noticed some white looking specks. Do these look like external parasites or sand from dust bathing?