ChickenPoopGarden Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Sad first post on this forum but I bought our very first chickens about two weeks ago. We went to the local community farm and bought a random selection of chooks - cream crested legbar (Petunia, 26w), colombian Blacktail (Splash, 21w), black Pekin (Lobelia, 24w), White Silkie (Marshmallow, 24w), Polish (Imelda,16w), and buff silkie (Pompom, 16w). We have a lovely, big, new, wooden coop with a run and they are bedded on some kind of hemp shavings. I clean them out daily, and after a bit of confusion in the first week where I fed Smallholder's supermixed corn instead of layers pellets, they are now fed ad-lib layers pellets with s"Ooops, word censored!"s and some corn in the afternoon. Petunia, the legbar, arrived with a sneeze which I was hoping would be down to transport stress and would clear up, but it is still going and has spread to some of the other girls. Fortunately none of them seem poorly with it - no snotty eyes, all bright and inquisitive. However, i also noticed that some of the chickens were doing mustard-yellow, runny poops instead of nice, solid, black and white poops. i haven't identified who is doing them, but for the last couple of days, my lovely, friendly pompom - the buff silkie - has been very quiet and just hunched up. She still comes in and out of the coop and I have heard her clucking, but she just sits in a ball and doesn't look well. I started them on flubenvet yesterday as instructed by the community farm, who said they were due and I was hoping that might fix the problem. I have stopped all corn whilst I medicate, in the hope they will be forced to eat their medicated feed instead of hanging on for treats and s"Ooops, word censored!"s. Incidentally, i haven't had a single egg yet! I understand it isn't really the time of year for it, and my silkie's and polish are too young anyway, so i really only mention it for information, not as a complaint! I am off to email the farm now to see if they have any advice, but i am sad that this may end badly for Pompom -she is kind of a favourite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Welcome to the forum ChickenPoopGarden Sorry that you have had a difficult start to the lovely world of chicken keeping. I think the mustard yellow poops could be the awful curry poops that people on here refer to and they are nothing to worry about, happening every 10 normal poops or so. Is your buff silkie Pompom still eating and drinking ? Usually a hunched up chicken is a sign that they really don't feel very well. I'm not sure what to advise as I usually run straight off to the vets but I'm sure someone will come along and suggest something other than that. She may just need some antibiotics. I hope the farm get back to you and that Pompom is feeling better soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChickenPoopGarden Posted October 11, 2015 Author Share Posted October 11, 2015 Well, I examined Pompom this evening and she looked totally fine- clean as a whistle and bright eyed BUT she was bone thin and her crop was empty. Since they should be able to feed ad lib I assume this either meant she couldn't or wouldn't eat so I took a few handfuls of the medicated feed and scattered it about the run so that she couldn't be bullied away from it. She seemed to be pecking at it, but I think I may take her out a couple of times a day to make sure she can feed uninterrupted. Poor little fluffball. The farm have been helpful and suggested bringing her back if the flubenvet doesn't put her straight, for a shot of tylan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollyripkim Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 I'm the same as luvachicken and tend to rush to the vets. Having said that it might just be the stress if the move and positioning in the flock so I woukd start with extra feed stations to make sure the silkie can access the food. I always mix a drop of cod liver oil in the food when working which not only helps the worming powder stick but they also love it so it encourages them to eat. Maybe if she does have a high worm burden that maybe why she was thin but I would check her crop at night to make sure it as full, if not I would be inclined to try her on some other things just to get her to eat. My silkies have always been much gentler than other breeds and so be more inclined to being bullied. Hope she is ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChickenPoopGarden Posted October 12, 2015 Author Share Posted October 12, 2015 Well, she was first out this morning but still looks a bit hunchy. Again, I have scattered the medicated pellets in the run as they all seem to prefer scratching for food to eating it out of the rain-hat feeder. Incidentally, what rainproof feeders do people use? Mine is huge- if I put another in the run they'd barely have any space to walk! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChickenPoopGarden Posted October 13, 2015 Author Share Posted October 13, 2015 Thanks to a kind friend, Pompom is now installed in a dog crate in the shed with her own food and water and grit. I have no idea if Im doing the right thing, but I just cant help feeling she needs to be nursed a little to get her eating and fattened up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavclojak Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Try making a porridge out of the pellets using warm water (not hot) they usually devour that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Worming is definitely the right first option, as you can't be sure of when they were last dosed. See how the poorly hen goes, and perhaps give her some NutriDrops to up her nutrient intake. I agree about the extra feeding stations while they are still sorting out the pecking order, and you may want to cover your run with a clear, waterproof cover (a tarp is fine) to keep them and the feed dry. Chickens with wet feet aren't just unhappy; they tend to get fungal and bacterial foot problems. Good luck, and do let us know how you get on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 If she is separated for too long you will have major problems re-introducing her CPG. The precise time they remember each other seems to vary considerably in our experience, anything from two weeks down to 24 hours. We had an Orpington attack her sister after just 1 day apart. So I would put her back in with the others and give them all cool mash. I have noticed the frequency of the mustard poos increases as worming time approaches. We had a Wyandotte doing one every second poo but she has been wormed now and no-one is doing mustard poos in that coop. I think they may have something to do with hair worms. I need to add that wet mash goes off very quickly. Anything not eaten in two hours should be discarded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChickenPoopGarden Posted October 14, 2015 Author Share Posted October 14, 2015 I put Pompom to bed with the other girls last night and then fetched her back out this morning. She is eating the medicated feed well and she is also getting a very little bit of smallholder's supermixed corn and some mealworms (just some!) Her poops are normal, so Im tking that as a pisitive sign! They all seem to be rubbing along without incident so I think I will carry on like that. In other news, one of the chickens has started doing big, egg-shaped poops. I think she is mocking me.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 As others have said, mustard or curry poos are normal caecal poos and to be expected - just shows you the cecum is working For the first few weeks I would put extra feeding stations in, you don't have to buy another feeder just use a dog bowl or similar so that they can't be bullied away from the feed. A cover on the run would be a very good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChickenPoopGarden Posted October 16, 2015 Author Share Posted October 16, 2015 Well, after a few days in the hospital cage with her own food and water supply, Pompom seems to be feeling better. I have let her free range with the flock yesterda and at the end of the evening they all rushed off in one homogenous feathery kerfuffle to the coop. They don't seem to have noticed her absence. This morning she wandered out of the coop first and tucked into the feeder without interruptions so, basically, I have no idea what was wrong, but she seems to be over it. I hope. Will look into covering the run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Great news I am sure that you will, but just keep an eye on her digestion; make sure that her crop is empty in the morning, and that she is passing poos as normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
