Hen with poopy butt & sluggish

Sussex19 · Jul 6, 2022

@Wyorp Rock might be able to help.

tjcib · Jul 6, 2022

(FYI... I'm generally not an alarmist...) Your post said that it has been in the triple digits. Chickens hate hot. They will stop eating. They will get pissy. They will stop laying. It sounds like you've been doing good work to keep them hydrated, but sometimes the heat just gets to them. Also, if they are drinking more than eating, that poop will get runny.

Depending on your resources you could remove from the flock and isolate, maybe in a climate controlled area? (Of course, moving birds stresses them too...) Have her favorite foods on hand and see if she is enticed?

I also like the sour crop suggestion.

Just my input on what I would do...

FeatherFeetFarm · Jul 6, 2022

I would keep her hydrated and make her a mash. I would put a high protein food with hydro hen or Save a Chick water and a little Nutri Drench. I would leave her with the hens and treat her poopy butt. If she gets worse I would bring her inside. Someone has already tagged Wyorp but I'll tag @azygous

Lexieagua · Jul 6, 2022

Tail pointed down and poopy butt could mean she’s egg bound. I had this with a hen once and I gave her an epsom salt bath for about 20 minutes and a little massage and she ended up passing the egg herself. I’ve heard that it can not be so easy though. Here’s a great video that explains how this woman helped her hen pass the egg when the bird could not do it herself.

You should also refer to the handy dandy poo chart incase her poop issues are something else.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/whats-scoop-on-chicken-poop-digestive/

ThatChickenLady708 · Jul 6, 2022

tjcib said:
(FYI... I'm generally not an alarmist...) Your post said that it has been in the triple digits. Chickens hate hot. They will stop eating. They will get pissy. They will stop laying. It sounds like you've been doing good work to keep them hydrated, but sometimes the heat just gets to them. Also, if they are drinking more than eating, that poop will get runny.

Depending on your resources you could remove from the flock and isolate, maybe in a climate controlled area? (Of course, moving birds stresses them too...) Have her favorite foods on hand and see if she is enticed?

I also like the sour crop suggestion.

Just my input on what I would do...

It's been absolutely miserable here! Today's heat index was 110°! I've had a large swamp cooler posted at all times in the run & I go out every 2 hours during the worst parts of the day & hose the whole area down. *MOST* of the time they're not panting, but I think they're still miserable regardless!

I will bring her in to our shop tomorrow evening after I purchase a new window unit! I'm glad you brought this up.. now I don't feel as ridiculous "putting my chicken on ice".

Aunt Angus · Jul 6, 2022

In your previous post, you said her tail is down. You also said it felt like there was water under her skin where her crop is.

She may have sour crop, which is a yeast infection of the crop that occurs when it isn't emptying properly. The causes for this are numerous. However, that in combo with with bloated abdomen, lack of appetite, lethargy, greenish poop, and tail down tells me something significant is going on.

When was the last time she laid? Any other discharge from her vent or unusual stuff in her poop?

ThatChickenLady708 · Jul 6, 2022

FeatherFeetFarm said:
I would keep her hydrated and make her a mash. I would put a high protein food with hydro hen or Save a Chick water and a little Nutri Drench. I would leave her with the hens and treat her poopy butt. If she gets worse I would bring her inside. Someone has already tagged Wyorp but I'll tag @azygous

I've been making them a mash every other day & mixing it with Hydro Hen water! I've also been giving them some hydrating veggies here & there hoping to cool them down along with rehydrating them. My husband keeps referring to me as the crazy chicken lady.

Thanks for all the advice! I really appreciate it!

ThatChickenLady708 · Jul 6, 2022

Aunt Angus said:
In your previous post, you said her tail is down. You also said it felt like there was water under her skin where her crop is.

She may have sour crop, which is a yeast infection of the crop that occurs when it isn't emptying properly. The causes for this are numerous. However, that in combo with with bloated abdomen, lack of appetite, lethargy, greenish poop, and tail down tells me something significant is going on.

When was the last time she laid? Any other discharge from her vent or unusual stuff in her poop?

I'm not sure her poo was green, just super watery.

Yes! Her tail has constantly been down for the last 3 days. I can't tell you when the last time any of my chickens layed. I think it's been too stinkin' hot!

As for her crop, I hadn't checked that today. I'm currently en route to catch her & check!

ThatChickenLady708 · Jul 6, 2022

Aunt Angus said:
In your previous post, you said her tail is down. You also said it felt like there was water under her skin where her crop is.

She may have sour crop, which is a yeast infection of the crop that occurs when it isn't emptying properly.

Just felt around her entire chest area, no squishy-ness. I grabbed another hen for comparison & the crop area felt the same.. almost non-existent & very small.

Aunt Angus · Jul 6, 2022

ThatChickenLady708 said:
I'm not sure her poo was green, just super watery.

Yes! Her tail has constantly been down for the last 3 days. I can't tell you when the last time any of my chickens layed. I think it's been too stinkin' hot!

As for her crop, I hadn't checked that today. I'm currently en route to catch her & check!

Can you check for a stuck egg? Get a glove, some lubricant, and insert a finger into her vent (not too far - just a 1/2 inch or so). If she's egg bound, you should feel one in there. You can also feel under her vent for an egg.

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