What should I do for chicken with diarrhea?

[PirateGirl]

What should I do for my chicken with diarrhea? I think it is only one chicken that has it. She is about 15 weeks old and has only been in my flock/on my property 2-3 weeks. She has no other signs/symptoms and eats and drinks and acts totally healthy and just like the others. I first noticed about 5 days ago. They had extra treats that day (pasta and oatmeal) and at first thought it might just be because of the food change, but it has continued. I am on day 3 of adding Corid to the water as a precaution because I wasn't sure what else to do and didn't think it could hurt. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. If you think Corid is the best course of action, how long should I continue it? Her droppings are very runny and sometimes mostly water, but of normal color.

 

[Kiki]

Corid is only for Cocci.
You should probably take her poop to the nearest vet for a fecal, to check for worms.

 

[PirateGirl]

Are there other signs of worms that might present? Is there OTC dewormer?

 

[pineapple416]

Since I am not sure of the cause, I would just make sure she is getting plenty of water so she does not become dehydrated. I would recommend giving her water with electrolytes in it, since her electrolytes could be thrown off by the diarrhea. Save a Chick electrolyte packets are a great choice for electrolytes. I would just keep a close eye on her and make sure she does not become to thin or lethargic, usually diarrhea will go away on its own.

 

[Kiki]

Are there other signs of worms that might present? Is there OTC dewormer?

Yes there is otc worm meds, but it would be best if you spent the 15 dollars to have her poop tested before just "trying different things"

 

[PirateGirl]

Since I am not sure of the cause, I would just make sure she is getting plenty of water so she does not become dehydrated. I would recommend giving her water with electrolytes in it, since her electrolytes could be thrown off by the diarrhea. Save a Chick electrolyte packets are a great choice for electrolytes. I would just keep a close eye on her and make sure she does not become to thin or lethargic, usually diarrhea will go away on its own.

Thank you! I found the poop chart too. I'm wondering if it's possibly because it's the hottest it's been? Hmm.

 

[Kiki]

Could be..if she is drinking a lot of water.

 

[PirateGirl]

Do they just screen the same as dogs and cats or do I need to find an avian vet? We don't have any worms here that dogs and cats can get is it still possible we have worms that chickens can get? We don't really have parasites at this altitude, so I'm not familiar, no worms, fleas, ticks etc that I know of, but maybe it's different for the birds.

 

[Kiki]

I'm not sure where you are.
I am not aware of worms only living in certain altitudes.

You may not be dealing with worms that is why I recommend you taking poop into a vet..yes a dog/cat vet can test the poop. It is the exact same test.

She could have come to live with you as a sick chicken from her prior home.
Are you keeping her away form your current flock?

 

[AllynTal]

Do 5 days of Corid (5 days total, so if you've already done 3, then continue for a day or two more) and follow it up with 5 days of vitamins and electrolytes in the water. The Corid can upset nutritional balances -- Vitamin B, I think? The vitamins help her recover. If she's been on your property only a couple of weeks, it very well might be cocci. If it isn't, the Corid won't hurt. I hope you put her in quarantine when she arrived. If it's only been a couple of weeks, she should still be in quarantine. If it is very hot and she's drinking a lot of water, that could account for less-than-firm poop. I agree with taking some poop to your vet and asking for a fecal float test just to rule out things that the test would reveal.