Greenish poop but acting fine...

Hello! My three girls (Easter Egger, Speckled Sussex, and Light Brahma, all 34 weeks old) are in chilly MA, but acting their perky selves with no frostbite or listlessness.

However, I noticed some greenish poop (a handful of specimens both in the coop and in the run). Nicely formed, not runny at all, and pale green (not dark). Still, this worries me. I've read that it could be from grass, but with the snow they haven't had access to grass in a while. I've also read that green poop can be from not eating (and had a horror story this summer with one chick who had dark green watery poop), but I just watched all three scarfing down their feed, so that definitely isn't it. I've given them Kelp and Bug Crunchy Trail Mix in the past, but not in the last few days, and have never seen this color poop from kelp before anyway.

My Sussex has laid eggs these past two days. My Easter Egger didn't lay yesterday or today, which is a bit unusual for her (she only usually takes one day off at a time), but it's been so cold (got down to -16 last night) that that could easily be an explanation. My Brahma hasn't reached POL yet.

What do you think? They're all acting fine, running around, and have food and (unfrozen) water. They've been eating a bit of snow off my shoes (they seem to LOVE it), but not much. Any ideas on what could be causing the green poop? Should I do anything for it, like add probiotics to their water? I'll of course continue to monitor them, but want to make sure to catch problems early.

Thanks for your help!

I'm by no means an expert, but my guess is that your girls are just fine! If they're acting completely normal, eating, and being their usual fun selves, it seems that they are quite healthy. Our babies get green droppings off and on, depending on what they've eaten that day.

-Alex

I tend to agree with Alexandra 33, it is best to look at how they are acting. If alert, active, eating and drinking, then it probably isn't anything to worry about. Dark green droppings are more of a sign of not eating, but I occasionally see light green stools.

Thank you both! Glad to hear. I'll check on them in the morning.

Emma Miriam said:

Thank you both! Glad to hear. I'll check on them in the morning.

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You're welcome! I'm sure you'll find your girls happy and sunshiny as usual.

-Alex

Thanks! So, all are fine today, but still some green poop, and Lucy the Easter Egger hasn't laid in four days now. Yesterday I thought it was from the cold, but it's 50 degrees today and she didn't lay today either! And my Speckled Sussex has continued laying throughout.

Have your girls ever stopped laying for a while after a cold period? It just scares me because she's never taken more than a day off at a time, since she's still such a fresh layer... Would four days off worry you or no? The only two abnormalities I've noticed are the moss-colored poop and lack of eggs, but I'm just so worried about missing something...

No, I don't think that would worry me to be honest. How old are your girls? Either they could be getting ready to go through a mini-molt (which can happen a few months before they're a year old), or they could just be taking a break during the winter season. Right now, I've got several girls who exhibit rather sporadic laying patterns because of the time of year. I still feel that if your girls are completely energetic, happy, and hungry, they are perfectly fine. However, don't you ever feel bad for being alert to little changes, because that could serve you well later if a real problem ever crops up and you are able to catch it early. I'm VERY sensitive to my girls, too.

-Alex

Thank you for the reply! My girls are about 35 weeks old, so...almost 9 months old, so that could be an explanation.

UPDATE: I was very excited on Wednesday to find a green egg from my EE! Plus I cleaned out the coop a little and didn't see any more green droppings. So I thought we were all set. She didn't lay yesterday, but today I found this:







I read this article (https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...mer-in-chicken-vent-anatomy-and-common-injury) and looked up other threads on here, and the consensus seems to be not to worry unless I get lots of bloody eggs. Would you agree? I haven't seen any bloody poo, but I also don't have a droppings board. My EE's vent seems fine and she continues to act normal. It's just odd because she's not a super new layer and the egg wasn't any larger than normal...

Thank you so much for all your help everyone! And thank you Alex for reassuring me that I'm not just a crazy chicken girl!! (Or that if I am, which is likely, at least I have company.)

I am so sorry for not getting back with you sooner, @Emma Miriam ! We occasionally get bloody eggs like yours, too, and everybody has always been fine. I guess if you start noticing excessive blood on every egg, then I might be of some concern, but I'm almost positive your girl is perfectly fine.

Awww....you're welcome! I am pretty crazy over the girls (my family can attest to that), but hey, sometimes you need to be. You're not alone, that's for sure!

-Alex

Thanks Alex! She's laid since and is acting fine so not too worried now. Appreciate the reply!