6mo barred rock hen w/ black runny poop

[okiecountrygirl]

eating well.....drinking well..... just the black runny poop and it stinks.
she has been eating layer mash and rolled corn mixed w/ alittle scratch and some veggie scraps and spinach leaves.
I have only had them for about 2 weeks do you think they are not used to this kind of diet and it upset their system? I know the former owners said he was feeding them layer mash and rolled corn so I continued that.
grateful for any help
Janis

 

[Renee]

Gee, I don't know. I would try her on just the layer pellets for a while to see if anything changes.

 

[sammi]

I think I'd stick with just layer feed..and maybe a little plain active culture yogurt.

do they forage in a yard or free range?
do you have other chickens?
are they eating any seeds? (like wild bird seeds)
or berries?(blackberries, for example)
might be the spinach...

keep a close eye...check for red.

 

[okiecountrygirl]

thank you Renee
I will try that...someone told me it might be because they were eating grass and leaves and vegetation now... I guess they were never on that with their former owners..they were always in a coop or penned up.
Thank you so much
I am so new at this I am still reading and learning
I love BYC

 

[okiecountrygirl]

thank you Sammi.....

I will try the yogurt good idea...I have isolated her from the others so I can check if its just her that has the runny black poop....I will post if anything changes....
Thanks again I am grateful we have BYC and nice people like you and all that responded for us new eggs that are still learning.
Janis

 

[okiecountrygirl]

Oh I forgot to say my chickens are in a pen mostly dirt and sand,
not free range.
some grass and leaves from the trees over head.

 

[Renee]

How are the chickies doing?

 

[threehorses]

Agreed with Sammi.

I'd like to add, spinach, though high in calcium, is also very high in oxalic acid. Given often, it actually binds calcium into a crystal that can't be used by the bird. You'll want to decrease it, give it a couple of times a month but not regularly. The main part of the diet should be the laying ration, less than 20% of the rest of the diet should be the rest of the ingredients listed - including the corn. (The reason being is that corn is high in phosphorus which, though needed for calcium absorbtion, actuallly hinders calcium absorbtion if you feed a lot.)

Please make your good complete ration for the birds the main part o the diet. THEN add all the wonderful goodies that you're giving them but in less than 20% of their entire diet. The free-range foraging will fill in the rest. But your birds will need the nutrition that is in a good complete diet until you're a very very experienced poultry owner.

The bad smelling droppings indicates that there's a bacterial or yeast inbalance.

First, I'd give her something to get that back in balance. Yogurt (1 teaspoon plain live-culture yogurt) mixed into a cup of feed, maybe add some applesauce, a little water, mixed together til it's moist but not wet - unless they like it wetter. Apple sauce isn't necessary, but the apple pectin in it helps to feed the good bacteria that your'e trying to encourage. It's called a PREbiotic. PRObiotics are live bacteria that are beneficial that we add to help the bird digest their food, produce their own B vitamins, produce enzymes that break down fibers and ward off bad bacteria, and the good bacteria actually help crowd out bad bacteria.

ANTIbacteria are products that kill bacteria (good or bad) and should only be used if the bird has a definite undeniable bacterial (not viral) infection. I don't feel your bird is there quite yet.

If you really want to help her, and you look like you like to give helpful natural and living nutrition, get a little bottle of organic Apple Cider Vinegar. Organic ACV still has good living bacteria in it, the bacteria that fermented it into vinegar. A teaspoon per gallon of water not only adds some good bacteria, it also makes their guts a good pH for good bacteria and unfriendly for bad bacteria. It also gives electrolytes and enzymes to help her in her change of diet. I only do this ever other day during stress, monthlly otherwise.

So a summary:
Tweak the diet: 80% complete food, 20% everything else.
Probiotiics for at least one week - daily. Then every other day til she's cleared.
Prebiotics - optional - applesauce in her probiotic treat.

Try that to start. If she at all goes south, let us know. Keep sniffing the poop! /grin That's the way you tell what's going on. A few poops like that are ok - they're from her cecum. However, this is too much. Hopefully we'll help you get her back on track.

Incidentally alittle side fact - for most animals whose digestive tracts are heavily bacteria dependent (read as grass/grain eaters), it takes a month for the bacteria in the gut to adjust to a new diet.

 

[okiecountrygirl]

Y E A H !!!!!!

The yogurt seemed to work she looks better today and her poop is returning to normal.
Im so happy!! shes my good layer...Thank you Threehorses for all the info very interesting, I have saved it for future reference.
Thanks Renee and Sammi for your help and advice.
I guess as a new mommy I was worried I did something wrong.

Thank you again
Have a great day!!
I LOVE B Y C

Janis

 

[threehorses]

Sounds like a good deal, and we're glad to hear it! Now you know the secret when her poop looks a little "iffy" but nothing else is off. It really does help!

Here's hoping she continues, and now you have another little way to get some extra calcium into her a couple of times a month.