Why is my hen having diahrea?

joeynumber1

In the Brooder
11 Years
Oct 5, 2008
63
0
39
Southern, NH
My hen just hatched two babies. When we got the food, she started eating it as well as the babies. Then, she started having diahrea. Is the diahrea from from the medicated chick food?
 
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Probably. Try feeding her finely shredded lettuce, bread soaked in water and get some red or white tuna meat or any kind of fish that you can squish up so the chicks can eat it too. Grind up some corn and wheat (use a coffee grinder and grind it fine) put all that on a flat dish of some kind and feed that to them all. Chuck out the medicated mash just in case it's an off batch or you may lose all of them. Feed them twice a day and provide fresh water on a platter type dish (flat not deep) also. Hope this helps.
 
Her body is probably re adjusting from broody stage to food. Since she's been sitting and running hot on a nest for 3 weeks, eating and pooping once a day, her new baby raising regimen and eating all day is probably just hitting a bump through her digestive system. The medicated chick starter won't hurt her. If it is just amprol, it doesn't do anything to the bird really, just inhibits the uptake of thaimine in the cocci thus preventing protozoa reproduction. If it is medicated with sulfa drugs, just don't eat her eggs till they are off the feed.

Just keep an eye on her and she'll probably be fine. If you are concerned about the medication, you can raise them on a "flock raiser" and provide oyster shell for the layers.
 
Thank you so much! You both helped me A LOT! I haven't tried the lettuce, bread, and tuna thing yet. But I thinnk I will. Thanks again!
 
I am not sure how tuna fish would help with chicken diarrhea. It is not a natural poultry food. My chickens GET diarrhea when they get into the fishy cat food. If she will eat her normal layer crumble or pellet, I would offer that, plus adding fresh greens and a high calorie topper as a treat. Have a fecal checked if the diarrhea persists.
 

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