Cuckoo Maran is sick but it is a mystery to us. Warning: Poop Pictures

[kmulligan]

Chicken Poop Pics - Three separate days and taken in the morning after sleeping...these are the worst of the days (from the 7th, 15th, 16th).

One of my hens (not even a year old yet) has been having diarrhea (very watery, green, sometimes really mucous-y but no blood and no yolky looking stuff) for quite some time now. It started on the fifth of September. On the seventh, we isolated her as she was now starting to act sick (tail down, feathers fluffed). We noticed some mold spots forming in their water and thought that might be it. Cleaned the water container, sanitized, refilled. It is a new waterer so we now know to keep a closer eye on it. We would bring her to the vet, but there are literally only three bird vets in my state. One is an hour away, one isn't accepting new patients, so we're left with the last vet and they mostly do parrots.

We gave her a spa day in some epsom salt thinking maybe she was egg bound since she hadn't laid and noticed all of her chest/stomach feathers were missing...odd but maybe an early early molt? Or early signs of Broodiness?

After a two days in isolation, she seemed better though she still hadn't laid and egg and still had diarrhea, but she was walking around, scratching, screaming to be let out, etc. We brought her back out with her sisters so she could eat and hang out with them.

Diarrhea continued, but she still seemed fine. Running over for snacks, showing bottom hen who's boss, scratching around in leaves looking for bugs, that kind of thing. Seemed to be eating alright...they're all not really big fans of their feed and we're waiting for new feed to come in to try.

I started giving all four VetRX at night for a potential light deworming and also sprinkled DE around the coop in case it was mites or lice. She still seemed fine, but still had diarrhea. This week I've noticed her feathers are falling out. They're all over the coop and today she now has her tail down, seems to be standing away from the group and I can't be too sure, but I think her comb might be a little purple-y at the tips.

Our ideas were worms, salmonella, or something from the mold in the water. The other hens are fine. We're kinda at a loss...any suggestions?

7th> 15th> 16th>

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you take in some droppings to a vet on Monday and get a fecal float ro look for worms and coccidiosis? I see what might be a roundworm in the second pic, but not positive. VetRx does not deworm chickens. It is a mix of herbal oils and camphor that some people use like
Vicks. To effectively worm them, I would use either Valbazen or SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer. The tail down position may be a sign of a reproductive disorder or other serious illness. How does her crop feel? Check it early in the early morning before she has eaten or drunk anything, when it should fill empty and flat. Her green droppings could be from not eating enough. What has she been eating lately? Blueberries or red cabbage can produce blue green droppings. The missing feathers could be an early molt. Does she act broody at all?

 

[kmulligan]

Can you take in some droppings to a vet on Monday and get a fecal float ro look for worms and coccidiosis? I see what might be a roundworm in the second pic, but not positive. VetRx does not deworm chickens. It is a mix of herbal oils and camphor that some people use like
Vicks. To effectively worm them, I would use either Valbazen or SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer. The tail down position may be a sign of a reproductive disorder or other serious illness. How does her crop feel? Check it early in the early morning before she has eaten or drunk anything, when it should fill empty and flat. Her green droppings could be from not eating enough. What has she been eating lately? Blueberries or red cabbage can produce blue green droppings. The missing feathers could be an early molt. Does she act broody at all?

Thanks so much for your reply.

I can definitely see if our cat's vet would do that for us. I have some Corid from a coccidiosis infection in the flock a few months ago. I can put them on it, just in case, but there has been no blood in the stool (thankfully). I also will look for some of the de-wormers you listed. I planned on giving them some pumpkin seeds as a treat tomorrow (pumpkin soup for us humans)!

There have been no cabbage or blueberries. They haven't really been out foraging too much because we have so many freakin' wild mushrooms in our yard that I've been a little too scared to let them. As for feed, I've recently been giving them a mix of layer feed, oats, Gold n' Egg from Small Pet Select, a little bit of food grade DE, and I'll mix in either flax seed or some other seed-y item. From that info I would mostly suspect that she hasn't been eating very much.

She doesn't act broody, but my sister thought maybe she was and didn't realize it since her chest is bare. The feather loss is what made me think she may have had mites or lice, but I cant really see any and they're falling out from everywhere not just her vent area.

I have noticed - which I just thought of - she has been shaking her head a lot. Nothing crazy, and nothing like impacted crop neck snaking. Just a little shake like there's a little bug flying around or something.