Still dealing with this issue

[unbaked pegga]

I posted back in December about my five chickens having diarrhea. I bought them as day old chicks in April. I feed them good quality food, I change their water every day, and clean their coop every day. Other than their crumbles the only thing I give them is a little scratch and some lettuce. Their appetite is tremendous and they lay every day or thereabouts. The only issue that I have is the runny poo that they have. With five chickens it is hard to tell who is doing what but when I was out cleaning the coop today I saw one had runny poo that I didn’t realize that that was one of the ones afflicted. I’ll go by their butt. I am retired and cannot afford to take the chickens to the vet. Before I retired I spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on them but I no longer can do that. I have a lot of stock medicines here. I thought about maybe giving them some Corrid just in case. Since they don’t exhibit any signs of illness except for the diarrhea I don’t really know exactly what to do. I have not seen any signs of worms or lice

 

[SueT]

Stop giving lettuce and see if that helps. I find that veggies and fruit can cause runny poop.

 

[icy_flames]

Stop giving lettuce and see if that helps. I find that veggies and fruit can cause runny poop.

2x I just gave mine their veggie treat of zucchini + mustard greens and they all had some runny poop going on but they eventually go back to their normal poops later on in the day.

 

[Mrs. K]

When I first got started, I too wondered. But there was an article on here, (I looked but could not find, it was years ago) said that there were several different types of poop that was perfectly normal.

So I quit worrying about it.

If they are eating, laying and active - I would add more dry bedding and not worry about it.

Mrs K

 

[Mamatomany123]

I've switched mine to fermented feed and it had made their poo much more formed and definitely less smelly. Maybe something to consider.

 

[Kiki]

Stop the scratch too.
Just feed the crumbles.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I saw one had runny poo that I didn’t realize that that was one of the ones afflicted.

Do you realize that all chicken urates pass in the droppings, meaning that's also how they pee? The cecal poos are always the grossest. No rudeness, but a sincere question.

Corid blocks thiamine to slow growth in coccidia, I wouldn't suspect that to be the problem after all this time but anything is possible.. if they had an otherwise weakened immune system. The conditions and symptoms you describe do NOT fit with coccidiosis!

Where were they bought as day old chicks in April.. a hatchery, breeder, or back yarder?

Scratch reduces nutrient content and can add to some genetic conditions that might also be seen in the form of odd waste. What color and texture is this diarrhea you reference? Got pics?!

Cut ALL treats until you've confirmed they aren't adding to the issue. Then add back in one at a time and see how it effects things for several days before trying something else.. keeping treats ALWAYS under 10% of the total daily intake.

Times of high heat and water consumption will equal more liquid poos. Which can also be ONE symptom of egg binding, salmonella, or other conditions. Please do NOT jump to any conclusions mentioned without DUE cause!

Sometimes other parasite load might impact droppings consistency. getting a float done (vet, mail in, or personal microscope) might help you identify if you do have an internal parasite load and what it should be treated with.. Only large round worms and tape worms may be seen in droppings, usually under heavy load. All others will stay in the intestines and only their microscopic oocysts (eggs) will pass to never be seen by the naked eye.. JUST for informational purposes.. My floats came back clean for 10 years, then one day I saw a worm in the dog waste.. not all animals in the same flock/herd/pack may carry the SAME load.. some have stronger or weaker immune systems and all have different snacking, hunting, etc, habits.. but IF/when you do treat one most often (not always) you should try and treat them all, close to the same time frame to prevent others from becoming easy targets.

Please tell what is the crumbles being fed and do they access any pasture? They are 10 months old, all ladies? What breeds?

Also, Congratulations on reaching retirement!

 

[CluckerFamily]

I agree about cutting out the treats. Certain foods make poop runnier than normal.