Not sure what is wrong with my Hen

[Beautchicks]

I have an almost 2 year old Lavender Orpington hen who went into molting for the first time recently. After she started molting, I noticed she had started having diarrhea. She's been like this for about 5 days now. Besides the diarrhea, she seems fine. She is active, eating, drinking, and being her normal self. I did remove her from the other chickens because they were pecking at her bottom. Her poor bottom has shed a lot of feathers, so her bottom looks pretty bare. She is in a metal cage dog crate in my garage right now because of the colder weather and her still being without all her feathers (as they grow back in). I've attached some photos of the diarrhea and her bottom. I put ACV in her water 1 day every week. Her vent was dried and pasty, so I started treating it with Miconazole which helped. But I am concerned about the diarrhea. I did give her a Calcium Citrate (630 mg) + D3 (12.5 mcg) tablet today, thinking maybe she might be egg bound. But nothing changed as far as the diarrhea so far. So I don't know if I should continue to treat her with the tablets and the Miconazole cream? I had been treating her with the cream for 3 days now, twice a day. Mainly just rubbing it on the outside of her pasty vent. Her vent crustiness seems to have cleared. But the watery and very liquid diarrhea has not.

See attached photos of her vent area and the diarrhea (the vent photo and all 3 diarrhea photos taken today at different times). Help! I need more ideas of what might be causing her diarrhea and how to treat her. Thank you.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Welcome To BYC

Do you see any lice or mites on her?

Her vent does look a bit sore from picking. If the miconazole seems to be helping and soothing the skin, I'd continue with that for a little while longer, it won't hurt anything.

Often hens stop laying eggs during molt, but if you feel she needs the extra Calcium, give that for 5 days total.

The white urates (poop) could indicate that she's a little dehydrated. See that she's drinking well and eating a normal balanced poultry feed. If the loose poop continues, then see if white cooked rice with a little buttermilk will help firm up the poop.

Do check to make sure her crop is emptying overnight.
If possible, take a sample of her poop to your vet to rule out worms as part of the reason for the loose poop.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Poor girl, she does look sore. Along with her regular food, don't forget to supply her with grit to aid in digestion.

 

[Beautchicks]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I've had a really bad infestation of no-see-ums here because of the warm weather and rain about a week ago but this has been an ongoing issue for about a month. Recently the weather has turned cooler and drier, so we aren't having the issue with the midges currently. She grooms herself often but I think it is because of all the new feathers coming in as she lost a LOT of feathers over the past 2 weeks, but the molting seems to have stopped 2 days ago. She is emptying her crop and does drink a lot of water. But tonight she was caged in the garage and she seemed unsure of what to think of the change in her surroundings and away from her sisters. So she may not have eaten and drank as much as she normally does.

I forgot to add that I got her to eat a little bit of probiotic yogurt for 3 days in a row, hoping it would help with her digestive system. I hadn't thought to try rice w/buttermilk.

And she is getting oyster shell bits for the grit.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

The oyster shell is for making eggshells and she'll voluntarily eat that when she's laying eggs, otherwise she probably won't. She needs crushed granite grit for her gizzard all the time.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

The ACV doesn't do anything but yogurt is a very good idea.

 

[Beautchicks]

I used the ACV to help prevent parasites in my hens. I had heard that it helps. And also helps with sour crop?

I'll continue to use the yogurt. She will willingly drink a little bit of it.

I never knew about crushed granite grit. I thought the oyster shell was used as grit. So I've never given granite to my 4 hens in the almost 2 years that I have had them. Oh dear! I'll have to pick up some at Tractor Supply.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Sorry, no, ACV does not prevent or cure parasites. You would need a wormer for that.

 

[Beautchicks]

Does ACV help with sour crop?