Blood in poo (warning: poo pics)

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

Oh my.... Need something more to worry about? I have this on the poo board from last night in the coop. They switch sleeping places so I don't know which girl yet... What am I going to find ? Bloody butt from a cut? Internal egg ? Worms ?

 

[dawg53]

You're not going to see worms. Use the Safeguard first for 5 days as mentioned by @Eggcessive.
Then wait a couple of days and if you still see blood in feces, hit them with Corid.
Then if you continue to see blood, I recommend Toltrazuril or a sulfa drug such as SMZ-TMP or Sulfadimethoxine.

 

[Eggcessive]

I have not seen any worms, just the blood in stools, do I treat with both?

They can still have worms in the poop but not seen. The worm eggs may only be seen with a microscope at the vet.

 

[Eggcessive]

Hopefully. Watch for any lethargy or standing puffed up in the young ones. Having multiple aged chickens, the young ones can sometimes get coccidiosis. Keep bedding dry and as clean as possible. They build up a resistance to coccidia in the soil and poop as they grow up.

 

[Eggcessive]

SafeGuard is a wormer. Corid treats coccidiosis. Safeguard dosage is 0.25 ml of the paste for each pound of weight. Give it once orally and again in 10 days, to treat roundworms. Give it for 5 consecutive days for roundworms, capillary worms, cecal and gapeworm.

To treat for coccidiosis, Corid dosage is 2 tsp of the liquid per gallon of water for 5-7 days.

 

[dawg53]

They are on day two, so far so good. They like the taste of Safeguard and I put it on top shelf snacks, so they appreciate the attention.

How do I know if it is working if I won't see worms in poo ? I have been picking up all the poo I spot with toilet paper to smoosh and see if I spot anything. So far it is just a weird behavior the chickens must assume is a crazy-human fetish, none of them contain anything interesting.

This is just an act of faith? I assume after the fifth day everyone is clean ?

Worms are released from the intestinal lining, then absorbed as protein. It's highly unlikely you'll see worms in feces unless there is an overload. Yes, by the 5th day your birds will be worm free. Have patience and dont worry, everything will be fine.

 

[Eggcessive]

That looks like a fairly normal dropping, except with blood. How old are your chickens? If they are young under 12 weeks old, I would consider treating for possible coccidiosis with Corid. If they are older, worms can cause blood as well. Can you examine some vents for any blood? Are any chickens acting lethargic or not eating?

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

That looks like a fairly normal dropping, except with blood. How old are your chickens? If they are young under 12 weeks old, I would consider treating for possible coccidiosis with Corid. If they are older, worms can cause blood as well. Can you examine some vents for any blood? Are any chickens acting lethargic or not eating?

They are 2 yrs 6months 3 weeks 4 days (but whose counting ).... Let's just say 2 yrs 7 months for simplicity

I cut up & squished the poo after taking the pic and I agree it is a very nice little contribution to the fertilizer bucket, there was nothing inside that looked off. There was no blood marbling so if it is a cut or issue it would not be inside it would be the final poo chamber.

They go outside most days, have for all their lives, and they were vaccinated before I got them, so (if I understand correctly) they should not be vulnerable to coccidiosis. But that leaves other predatory bugs/worms.

I can't check bums until tomorrow, I'll get home from work around 11pm and the butts will be snoring at that time of day.

I am worried because I have another hen that has a swollen (very hard) abdomen currently in the house. I thought it was water-belly but she seems to be recovering without being 'drained' which likely means I got the diagnosis wrong.

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

Oh! Forgot one question on your list, yesterday no one was lethargic but I don't know about today because they were all huddled under the henhouse hiding from pouring rain. So I get to worry until tomorrow when I can butt check.

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

I found no bloody bums and no one is lethargic, no blood since. (shrug) I am guessing someone passed a stone or something similar to cut herself along the poo journey.

Thank you @Eggcessive hopefully it was a one time scare.