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megan chickens

megan chickens

In the Brooder
Feb 3, 2017
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Hi everyone, so i bought some chicks from tractor supply and they have runny poop. I do know if its the change of food or if they might be sick. They are active and acting normal im just worried. When they where in the store they looked fine one of the batch of chicks they had look sick so i avoided them. I bought 20 of them all from different pens. Also they have ducklings and i bought 2, but i notice that one duckling kept looking up. His head was bent up and he was eating and drinking like that. I think he had a birth defect. I was giong to buy him cuz i felt bad for him but i never did. I just want to know if he will live.
 
Rule #1 when buying baby chicks and ducklings - never select the ones that you feel sorry for.

Rule #2 same as rule #1.

Runny poop is pretty normal for the first two or three days until the chicks start eating crumbles. They will be slow to start eating solid food and that's normal. Sprinkle some dry crumbles over the floor of the brooder for the first couple days and they will be more apt to get interested in their food. Provide crumbles in a feeder, too.

If you still have concerns about their poop, post a well focused close up of it and we will tell you if you need to worry.
 
So update on the chicks... some still have runny poop. I have been gathering the ones with dried up poop on their butt and dabbing a wet rag on their butts to get the poop off. They all have their wing and tail feathers coming in and they are about 2 weeks old. Shouldn't their poop be hard or soft by now? My ducklings are fine its just some of the chicks. Also when i got them they where already eating crumbles. I don"t know how old they where tho maybe 5 days old. But their poop is almost liquid its sticky and brown, it squirts out of there butts leaving drops on their feathers. Then it dries and keeps building up on them. Should i be worried?
 
Do you change their water every day? Water can get pretty rank if not changed every day and kept fresh. It can be a cause of diarrhea.

Do you keep the poop cleaned out of the brooder or is it piling up? Poopy litter can be a cause of diarrhea.

Does the diarrhea have a greenish tinge? Is there any sign of blood in it? If so, you might be dealing with cocci. Corid is the cure for this.

Are you giving the chicks treats other than their crumbles? Is it very hot where you live? Hot weather can cause runny poop and so can some foods other than crumbles.
 
How warm is your brooder and is it the same temp all over or is there the warm area and cooler areas as well?
What size is your brooder for the chicks?
Are you sure they are 2 weeks old? I thought TSC only started their chick days last week and they get in day old birds, so a couple days by the time their shipments arrive to the store.
 
Last edited:
They may be only a week old but i got them after TSC had them for a while. I have them out in the barn with a heat lamp. They have the choice to run around where its cooler or snuggle under the heat lamp. its about 90 digress under the lamp. Most of them are all running around some way away from the heat lamp and some just snuggle under the lamp. Cleaning the poop off of them time consuming each chick takes 3 to 5 min and i have to do 10 to 12 chicks every day.
 

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