blood in poop - normal??

[mcf3kids]

I have 22 birds that are 9 weeks old and I first noticed 2 weeks ago that there were a few (who I have no idea) that had blood in their poop. I had them vaccinated (Merck's) but did not put them on a medicated feed as little chicks. So 2 weeks ago I put them onto a medicated feed thinking it would maybe fix this issue. I am still seeing a couple of poops a day that have blood in them - is this normal? What is it indicative of? When they were 3 weeks old I fed them some earthworms but only did twice before I found out that they can carry gape worm (which from what I had read can affect their respiratory system). Suggestions much appreciated.

 

[axion_lotus]

Your chickens need to be wormed if they've got blood in their poo like that. It doesn't cost much to worm them, and even if they have other kinds of worms, like gapeworms, the worming medicine will take care of those, too.

I use Wazine once every two months for my birds. You can find it at TSC or other feed stores. All you have to do is follow the dosing instructions on the bottle and put some in your birds' waterer. It should clear up the problem.

 

[mcf3kids]

I was thinking along those lines that it must be some kind of worm they have - I will def. pick up some de-worming med - I got to TSC this weekend - thank you for your response!

 

[axion_lotus]

No problem. When things go wrong with our birds, it can be really scary.

For example, I thought my black Australorp pullet, Pepper, had some bloody poos, too, but it turns out that it was just a chunk of watermelon that didn't digest.

I wormed her anyway, just to be safe, and all is well.

 

[dawg53]

Blood in their poop could be intestinal lining that was shed, which is normal. OR, it could be cocci in which case you would need to treat them with corid. Here's the poop chart to help you make a determination:
http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0
If your chickens are eating and drinking, it's not gapeworm. They would be literally gasping, choking wanting to breathe and wouldnt be able to swallow food. Gapeworm clogs the trachea. Wazine doesnt treat gapeworm anyway, only large roundworms.

 

[mandelyn]

Coccidia would affect the intestinal lining and requires a round of antibiotics, as well as a deep cleaning with bleach around the area they live. It's serious stuff if that's what it is, and can cross into other species as well. I've only ever dealt with it in rescued kittens, but fowl can get it too. And dogs. And whatever else.

 

[M@M@2four]

Sounds like Cocci!!! Sulmet or Corid work well for this...

 

[mcf3kids]

Dawg53 - thank you for that link of pictures - what I am seeing actually looks like the intestinal lining pictures that are shown and nothing like the really bloody ones lower in the post. I think for safety sake I may deworm them anyway and then watch and see. So how often do they "shed" their intestinal lining? Sounds kinda nasty

 

[speckledhen]

Actually, Cocci does not require antibiotics since it is not a bacteria but a protozoan like giardia. It requires a thiamine analog like concentrated amprolium in the form of Corid or Cocci-Rid. At 9 weeks, it's more likely cocci than worms, if it's not intestinal lining.

 

[mcf3kids]

Thank you Speckled Hen I need to research Cocci - what causes this? I had them vaccinated but I think it said for Mercks - not even sure what that is but figured I should vaccinate just in case - was there a Cocci vaccination I missed? They all seem healthy and are growing well but seeing blood in poop I figured cannot be a good thing.