[Sherbatious border]

I have a hen sold to me as a 'Nera', basically a black hybrid with gold lacing on her neck. She is about 4 and has done the typical hybrid thing of laying and laying until her calcium was depleted. then she moulted this summer (for only the second time in her life, she has a strange cycle!) and has now got a nice new covering of shiny feathers, comb has reddened up somewhat and she is full of beans and feisty as ever. However, she had very runny poop for several weeks and although after worming and treating a blockage in her crop, it improved to some extent, it is still very odd looking, sort of greyish and grainy looking as if she is not digesting her food properly. She did have a blockage in the crop at one stage, which I massaged and I cannot now feel any blockage in her crop. She drinks and drinks, more than any of the other hens and she soaks the wood shavings under her perch with what looks like just water. I have wormed them all with flubenvet and withheld their usual green leafy treats/bits of carrot and potato peeling etc because that seems to cause her crop problems. She is not exhibiting any other signs of illness at all. Has anyone experienced this with a hen? I am not sure what to do, I have read that vets can give anti fungal treatments for a sour crop and that either sour crop or worms are the most likely cause of a runny bot, but that's not what we've got.

[Marches Farmer]

The Bovans Nera is a Rhode Island Red x Plymouth Rock commercial type which should produce around 330 eggs in its first year.  Your hen may well be nearing the end of her productive life and is perhaps succumbing to a combination of problems, exacerbated by the stress of moulting.  I would isolate her as a precaution in case of disease being transferred to other poultry.  If she's on standard layers pellets I'd consider switching to chick crumbs for a while - as she's recovering from the moult the higher protein content is unlikely to be a problem and they'll be easier to digest.

[Eve]

Would you have any Avipro or other pre/probiotics for birds?

[Sherbatious border]

Thank you both, I don't have any pre/probiotics but one friend has suggested a mash formula including yoghurt among other things, which I am going to try with a live type yoghurt. She's had a lot of ex bats and reckons the special mash does wonders for them. I've had hybrids simply keel over at this stage on previous occasions so I am well aware how much all that laying takes out of them. She did feel thin to me when I picked her up, despite eating (and drinking) a lot. Situation re wet bedding actually seems a bit better the last few days. Fingers crossed - she's a real character, been known to come to the back door and demand my attention!