Runny Poo!

[Newtothis]

One of our hens, a 23 week light sussex, has developed a case of runny poo. It's light brown in colour and definately squishey.
Otherwise she is eating well, running around and scratching everything up; bossing the other three around, and has been laying for the past 10 days - some lovely double yolkers!
I've been dosing them with some cod liver oil in the mornings since she began her 'runs' and have put some cider vinegar with AVC in the water this week.
Still runny though....what can I do next?
If she's feeling a bit under the weather and is as bossy as she is now, goodness help us when she feels 'perky' again.

David

[RichmondHens]

Have they been wormed recently? If not worm all with Flubenvet which you can get on line (cheapest) or through the vet. Is all the poo runny or just sometimes? Chickens pass two types of dropping - the solid greeny brown and white stuff and a lighter foamy brown deposit which comes from the caecum and appears about one in ten droppings. I personally wouldn't give cod liver oil as this won't make any difference to the droppings. ACV needs to be given one week in four, not all the time, to allow the "good" gut flora to survive.

[Newtothis]

I've ordered some Flubenvet off the net. It was £30 at the local vets but only £15 on t'internet! Thnks for that tip.
The AVC in the water has only been for 3 days, so I'll make sure it's one week a month.
I know this sounds a strange request, but is there a website with pictures of hen poo - I may be worrying over nothing.
I didn't realise that they had two types of poo.....clever things!
Thanks for the advise.

David

[Suechooks]

There is indeed a site with Poo!!!!

http://chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0

[petal]

Which reminds me its flubenvet time of year! now where are the weighing scales......

[Suechooks]

Which reminds me its flubenvet time of year! now where are the weighing scales......

Think I'll pick up a bag of Marriages with Flubenvet on Saturday when I go to the new Poultry Auction - just to watch you understand!

[Newtothis]

There is indeed a site with Poo!!!!

4. Poo - The Chicken Keeper's Guide - The Poultry Pages - Allotment and Vegetable Gardening

Fantastic site Sue. I am indeed worrying for nothing! It's just the frothy light brown stuff.....well you live and learn.
Can you buy the feed with Flubevet already in?
That sounds a good idea.
I'm sort of glad I don't live near Oswestry though.......

David

[petal]

Think I'll pick up a bag of Marriages with Flubenvet on Saturday when I go to the new Oswestry Poultry Auction - just to watch you understand!

yeah right.. norty step for u already.........

[Suechooks]

yeah right.. norty step for u already.........

And what's more I now have all 3 of my carrying boxes back!

[RichmondHens]

Fantastic site Sue. I am indeed worrying for nothing! It's just the frothy light brown stuff.....well you live and learn.
Can you buy the feed with Flubevet already in?
That sounds a good idea.
I'm sort of glad I don't live near Oswestry though.......

David

Yes Marriages do a pre-medicated layers pellet but only in 20 kilo sacks I believe, which may be too much if you only have a few hens. You may not use it up quickly enough before the pellet reaches the best by date (usually 3 months from packaging) so with just a few hens a tub of the powder which you can mix in to normal pellets might suit you better. The tubs have a much longer shelf life than a bag of pellet.

Worming with Flubenvet is recommended two to three times a year, with changes of ground if possible. If the hens are sited in a permanent run then you can increase the worming to up to four times a year.

[Newtothis]

Oh a 5 kilo bag would be the ideal for me, so I'll stick to the tub.
It says mix 6g into 2 kilos - I guess that's a lot of mixing then. Is there any way to get it to evenly stick to the pellets?

[Suechooks]

Oh a 5 kilo bag would be the ideal for me, so I'll stick to the tub.
It says mix 6g into 2 kilos - I guess that's a lot of mixing then. Is there any way to get it to evenly stick to the pellets?

You can put a bit of Cod Liver Oil in the pellets first then mix in the Flubenvet. I've done it with and without before I started using the ready medicated pellets.
Don't forget you shouldn't feed them anything else for the week of treatment.

[Newtothis]

OK Sue thanks.

Hope you enjoy the auction.

[Suechooks]

Discovered today that Marriages now do a 10Kg bag of pellets with Flubenvet

[Newtothis]

When you dose them with Flubenvet the instructions say that it needs to be just the pellets fed as a 'complete ration'. So no treats then...
But does this mean that they can't free range for the seven days?

David