What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[clucky h]

Hello!

 

I've been lurking around Omlet for a while now and learned so much from it - it's a wonderful resource and I'm very grateful to everyone involved in it!

 

I'm new to posting though, and also quite new to chicken keeping. I live in Belgium and have four lovely hens whom we bought from a local farmer about two months ago. They are all happy and perhaps a bit spoilt, but I am getting very worried about one, Lucille. She has been doing runny black poos for a couple of weeks now and is losing weight, but is otherwise in excellent health, stuffing her face, running around, etc. etc.

 

I tried porridge with live yoghurt which was scoffed up immediately but has had no effect. So now I'm thinking worms. I'm about to order my partner out to buy some Flubenvet which I hope will do the trick, but I note it's not effective on all worms. So if there are any worm experts out there who might know whether Flubenvet is my best bet or not, I'd really appreciate the advice. I want to treat Lucille as quickly as possible, while she's still in generally good health.

 

Thank you!

[clucky h]

Oh, and I meant to add, Lucille is still laying an egg a day and her bum is clean.

 

I have looked through all the runny poo posts, but haven't found any where the hens are laying and chipper, hence my post. I'm probably just being a bit neurotic though.

[Budgies]

Hi Clucky H.

 

Protein in their diets can affect some hens more than others - their poops do get more tarry if they have access to lots of worms/slugs etc.

 

Flubenvet is a wide-spectrum wormer - I think I'm right in saying if you double the dose (normally you would do this on your vet's advice) it does then cover lung worm and tape worm which the regular dose doesn't.

 

You could cut back on her treats as well as worming her perhaps and see whether the poops improve. Always bearing in mind of course that one in every ten or so poos are the caecal ones (vegetative matter that's been fermented) and are particularly horrible!!

[clucky h]

Thanks ever so much Budgies!

 

I should cut back on the treats a bit. I'm easy prey for the 'We are Poor Starving Chickens who Haven't Eaten a Crumb for Days' act, which I must say they're good at.

 

I hadn't realised one in ten poos was caecal. How embarrassing!

 

I am now feeling much happier and am sure that worming is the way forward. You've calmed me down!

[Egluntyne]

I would worm her and harden your heart and cut right back on treats for a few days.

 

Pellets and fresh water only. It might help settle a dodgy tum......with just Bokashi Bran added if that is available where you are. It is full of beneficial organisms.

[clucky h]

Thanks Egluntine, I'm sure that's very good advice and I'll follow it. I don't know if bokashi bran is available but if I can find it, it could be just the ticket.

[peggotty]

Can I just say, I am seriously impressed with the level of chicken poo knowledge on this thread!

 

It has certainly filled a void in my knowledge base! I have often pondered on the mystery of the sticky poops.

[clucky h]

Hello - just thought I'd come back in case anyone reads this thread in the future. All the hens have been wormed with Flubenvet and off treats and Lucille's poo is now lovely and firm, just like everyone else's. Everyone else being the other chickens, of course.

 

So thanks for the help and the poo expertise!

[Egluntyne]

Pleased to hear it.