Diarrhea + Raspy Chicken - Timeline, Symptoms, Observations

[kaykay7918]

I have a chicken, hatched Feb 2023 who I noticed having issues with poop this morning.

Timeline:

1. 0800 - let chickens out of coop; give 16% layer crumble; check water (was almost empty and spout slightly clogged with straw/leaves/dirt from chicken yard
2. 0815 - waterer refilled, 6/6 chickens eating and drinking
3. 0830 - massive "fart" sound, chicken lays a very watery poop (I check for blood, worms, etc... looks like diarrhea.
4. 0835 - I hear a singular chicken sneeze (probably from the chicken who had abnormal poo but cant be 100%)
5. 1438 - I do a recheck, see one hen with white droppings on bottom feathers, potential vent straining. I pull this hen (after much hullabaloo), and isolate in dog crate in garage and examine

Symptoms/Observations:

• Diarrhea in am- but did NOT contain worms or blood or yolk tinge
• No additional poops observed yet, possible straining to do so
• Checked vent internally 1.5 to 2 inches (two finger knuckles) - no egg detected
• Mild raspiness when "talking", not noticed when just regularly breathing (may have sneezed once in am)
• full crop, not hard. Would say squishy
• may have some squish around belly (unsure if abnormal, normal, or if she's overweight -- she might be the top of the pecking order)
• Comb normal color
• Eating and drinking normally
• normal energy
• I got 5 eggs from 6 hens today - production reds so 5/6 to 6/6 is my expectation. I don't know if she laid an egg or not.
• vent looks fairly normal (Minus poopy feathers, can include picture)
• did a full coop clean out 2 weeks ago (like my 2x per year back to almost super clean)
• Unsure if any other hens are symptomatic, no other hens have poopy bottom feathers
• Had probably too many treats yesterday (not common, just had lots of kitchen scraps); may have been high in sodium
• Yesterday was one of the hotter days of the year so far but only in the 70s
• Introduced new chicks to same chicken yard 1.5 weeks ago, they seem fine. (Separate sleeping quarters, separate temporary coop, 11-12 weeks old now-they just share the yard)

Currently have her isolated with just water. Will monitor.

Thoughts? Can provide photos of anything needed.


UPDATE 1630 - More normal looking poos, smell is strong and yucky, was standing with head held low so I added a broom handle to the dog crate as a makeshift roost

PHOTOS 1645-

Pic 1 Healthy comb/face - PM

Pic 2 PM Full crop

pic3 PM - Full body Afternoon shot

Pic 4 - AM booty shot, poo feathers and vent

 

[Debbie292d]

She's got vent gleet.

I'd put her and all of them on probiotics for a couple of weeks. You can buy powders for their water or Greek yogurt is high in probiotics too.

Then get a tube of Monistat or generic, or anything with miconazole in it. After bathing her butt (might need to trim back there) smear some of that on her vent and give her a small amt orally. If you can do this a couple two or three times a day, she should get past that in a few days.

The probiotics may also help crop health and the digestive tract.

Vitamins might also help those with the sneezes. Usually chickens can get past the minor respiratory illnesses themselves, and a vitamin boost would help build them back up. We use Poultry Cell or Nutri-Drench.