[Lynto]

Hi all.

Just a Newbie to chook chasin' as we've only had the girls nearly four weeks (doesn't time FLY when your having fun) and seem to have a problem with 1 bird namely Rosie.
(Or Babie as i call her cos she looks younger)
She's the only one not laying though we think she may have layed a week after we got  them 13/04/11and then for just 6 days.
We went away for a weekend so eldest daughter chicken sat.
Egg production went down to 3 and hasn't gone back up since.
She seems a little subdued but quite alert. Doesn't chase when being fed treats and tends to just peck at small bits of layers pellets.
She has a small pale comb and tends to fluff herself up. she also likes to sleep a lot.
I thought she was just a young bird and needed to mature but not so sure now.
This morning we had an egg with a soft shell (2nd one in 4 weeks) and tonight i brought her in for an hour and she left me this........


any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Tony.

[Lindeggs]

Hmmm.  Given the overall behaviour of your chicken, I think you're right to be concerned.  I don't have the experience to do a diagnosis, although other much more experineced people will hopefully be along soon to help!

Have your girls been wormed recently?  One of the most common causes of the general lethargy you're describing (sitting hunched, sleeping a lot...) is a heavy intestinal worm burden.  If they haven't been wormed people on here will recommend Flubenvet as a good product. (I'm in NZ so our worming products are different.)

I would suggest you make a plan for what happens if she gets suddenly worse.  Locate a vet in your area who treats chickens and consider taking her for a check-up.

[Casey76]

I'd keep a close eye on her.  Passing soft eggs is very uncomfortable for them because the muscles in the oviduct don't have anything hard to push against.

The poo looks like half normal for a pullet who isn't eating much, and yolk on top.  this porbably means that a soft egg has burst inside her.

Can you pick her up and have a gentle feel inside her vent to see if the membrane is there?  If she starts to pass the membrane and it is left hanging, they other chickens may start to peck at her, and once they start they might not stop until she is dead 
If she still looks fluffed up after a day or so, I would take her to the vet, as any remaining egg left inside her may have become infected.

[Lynto]

Hi all.
Woke up this sunny morning and went to check her and she was lethargic again .
Picked her up for a cuddle and noticed she had poo on her feathers around her backside.
Gave her bum a clean and trimmed away dry poo and as i was turning her to check her over loads of little bugs were on my shirt( green shirt so they stood out quite well).

They were a reddy/brown colour but slightly see through.
About 2-3mm long. I think 6 legs but first thing my eyes aren't that good. 
They didn't seem to bite me and she hasn't been itching a lot that i've seen but my 9 year old said she has been scratching around her bum area.
Thanks for any help.
Off to research a bit more.
Tony

[Casey76]

They sound like poultry lice.

A spot on treatment like Frontline for kittens will kill them in 24 hours.  It would be better to treat all of your hens at once

[Chrissie]

I recently lost one of my beautiful ex batts and she had strange poo, a mucky behind and went downhill very quickly.  A third one seems to have also developed the same symptoms although the last hen is perfectly chipper.  Can you get Frontline from Tescos or anywhere on the high street does anyone know?  I'm at a loss to know what to do.

[Helenaj]

Some of my local chemists sell Frontline, so it may be worth your while ringing around to see if they have it. Most Country stores or feed merchants will probably stock it as well. Amazon sells it at half the price of my vets and you can get next day delivery, but make sure you get the spray one suitable for puppies and kittens and gave them one blast under the feathers near the shoulders. Try your local pet shop as well. If nothing else, they may have something that's suitable for pidgeons that may work, but since it's not licensed for poultry, egg withdrawel is a must for at least 7 days just to be sure.