amys garden Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 First I'd like to say hello to all the omleteers I used to chat to. I've been busy and away a while. My girls have survived the nasty winter here but my Marans Curvier is still the one who's always getting poorly I thought we were going to loose her over winter she got very sick but rallied round. Then she had a poopy bottom for weeks - sloppy poops. I've been keeping an eye on her, cut out all treats and made sure I kept there water and feeder clean. I checked her vent & it looks clean and healthy and there's no sign of her being egg bound. I've been giving them a little live yoghurt every day and she no longer has a poopy bottom. However I just want to ask is there anything else I should be doing? And how long before she'll lay again as we haven't had an egg since autumn Thanks Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 If she had vent gleet you would know about it as she would have an unpleasant and very smelly discharge from her vent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amys garden Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 Hi Egluntyne Yes her poop was pretty smelly for a while! Sort of rancid and runny and her feathers were getting stuck to it Is it possible that the yoghurt I'd read about really helped? Her tail looks more perky than it has for a while... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Whether it was vent gleet or not (and I would be doubtful as its very rare) I would worm her and definitely check her carefully for mites. Northern fowl mite can result in nasty dribbly smelly poo which sticks to the feathers. The mites arent always apparent without careful scrutiny and they will drain the hen of energy for a while which will stop laying. Ditto with worms really Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Hi Amys Garden. Your second post got me thinking that perhaps the problem was sour crop? She would have the symptoms you describe with a soggy crop that feels unusually warm, sometimes accompanied by bad breath. In which case her crop needs flushing out by a water only diet for 24 -48 hours, accompanied by frequent massaging to work the rotten stuff through. When the crop has returned to a normal temperature she can go back onto food and be given natural yoghurt. We've had two cases of that in the last month with our piggy Orpingtons and they haven't started to lay again yet. Some people drain the crop, but that's risky and unnecessary in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amys garden Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 Thanks Beantree she will be getting a thorough check over today Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
