Mucusy poo - looks like egg whites

[Cezanne]

Hello,
My husband and I got chickens two weeks ago for our backyard in the city. They have seemed very happy and love foraging around in our yard. We feed them laying feed mixed with peanuts and sunflower seeds. We’ve also given them dried lentils, cooked porridge, pieces of onions, kale and cucumbers.

One of our hens had two poos that looked like egg whites this evening . She laid an egg today and looks healthy. Is there anything to worry about? I noticed today that clumps of the chicken feed was going moulding in the bin we store it in. That being said, we’ve only had it for two weeks.

Thank you for your guidance!

 

[Eggcessive]

That might be albumen, but it also could be mucus from the intestines. I would keep an eye on the hens in case the mold causes a problem, or if you see more mucus or egg matter in the poops. Be sure to throw it out and disinfect your feed container. Do you keep your feed in a cool dry container? I have had feed in warm weather turn moldy overnight, especially if it has accidentally become wet, or the container has been in the sun where it sweats and molds. What type of feed do you use? You might not want to use onions, since they can be bad for chickens. Treats and a few scraps can be okay, but they need a balanced layer or all flock feed that has between 16 and 20% protein. Here is an article to read about mold poisoning:
https://thepoultrysite.com/disease-guide/mycotoxicosis

 

[BugStalker]

Probiotics may help if it is intestinal.
Lentils may be a bit hard to digest dried, uncooked. I am not sure if they are as bad as other beans. Peas and chick peas/garbonzo beans are probably the easiest to digest, but still a little uncomfortable if they eat too much.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would agree, lentils or other legumes, rice, barley and similar foods all should be cooked before feeding.

 

[BugStalker]

I also heard kidney beans are toxic, just to mention it.
Here's a list of treats and things to avoid: https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...—the-best-treats-for-backyard-chickens.47738/

 

[Cezanne]

@BugStalker @Eggcessive Thank you both so much for your quick replies! We threw out the feed and will avoid onions and dried lentils from now on. We're also going to try giving them so kefir milk as a probiotic.

I'm surprised to see that the lentils are bad, because I had seen it in a couple of homemade feed recipes. See two examples below:
https://www.gardenbetty.com/garden-bettys-homemade-whole-grain-chicken-feed/
https://theelliotthomestead.com/2013/06/organic-homemade-chicken-feed/

Do either of you make your own feed or have recommendations?

Thanks again!!

 

[BugStalker]

Making feed can be tricky. Any substantial diet change can be tricky. I have made feed, when I had a shortage for a few days after something got in the storage and I was concerned about mold, but I tried to get it as close to what they were used to as I could. I now use sealed containers, which I try to fill on dry days, and store in more than one place.

 

[Eggcessive]

I have done a lot of reading about making feed for some of our Asian friends who cannot get a commercial mixed feed. It is interesting that certain grains are used in some countries that are more available than others. Just for the balance of all nutrients and vitamins/minerals, I think that feeding a good brand of commercial all flock or layer feed is the best thing to do, as well as the most economical. Most feeds need to be ground to a similar size to keep the chickens from eating only their favorite things out of the mix—ie: corn, which is not good in large amounts. When grains are ground, they can lose nutrients and spoil if not used within a certain amount of time. So unless, you have a huge amount of chickens, it may be costly to buy all of the single ingredients, and most feeds have a vitamin/mineral premix that would be lacking in a homemade feed. There are a lot of sites that you can look for online about homemade chicken feeds.

 

[Cezanne]

A little update, in case you have some insight:
We did not notice any irregular poos or behaviour yesterday, but today she laid a soft shelled egg in the yard and tried to eat it. She also had another poo (or laid) another albumen like substance. Upon inspection, her comb seems a little dry and she’s been taking lots of little naps throughout the day. We also noticed 2-3 of her feathers around the yard. Other than that, she has been acting pretty normal and the naps and feathers might simply be because we had our first sunny day in a while and she spent it rolling in the dirt!

We might be over vigilant and paranoid at the moment.. but the soft egg got me worried.

 

[Eggcessive]

Since she has laid a soft-shell egg, I would offer a calcium tablet or Tums mixed into 1/4 of a scrambled egg for the next 3 days. If you don’t have calcium or Tums, grind up an egg shell very fine, and mix that in the egg. That would equal a calcium tablet, and the yolk has vitamin D, aslo helpful. I don’t know if the albumen like substance is that or mucus. But since she is laying shell-less eggs, albumen sounds more likely, doesn’t it? Shell-less eggs in new layers can be common, and it is seen in hens who have had bronchitis or who are having reproductive problems.