Blood in poop - UPDATE

[PurpleChicken]

Over the last week or so I've noticed a few red poops on the ground. I
figured that since the hens are just starting to lay that it may just be normal.
Today in the coop there were around 6 bloody stools, one I saw my white silkie
hen make. It's almost a strawberry jelly type consistency. All the birds are
acting fine and they did eat spaghetti and free ranged for most of the day
yesterday. There has been no trace of blood on any eggs.

I asked my wife to call around to find a local vet we can bring a sample to.
Until then I will monitor the situation. I'm gonna break up the flock so I can
determine exactly which chickens are affected.

My small flock is isolated from other birds, however since they free range
they can pick things up from wild birds.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Don

 

[Lothiriel]

Blood in the manure is coccidiosis. I don't think there's any cure. Sorry.

 

[dlhunicorn]

it might be cocci (though cocci usually affects younger birds) and it might be capillaria worms (which damage the intestines and therefore presents often with bloody poos) OR it could be something they ate ALL of which are treatable... a faecal is your best bet to get it sorted out so you can treat appropriately with the right med.

 

[hinkjc]

Bug Girl - coccidiosis does have a cure. You can use Sulmet or Amprol to treat Cocci. The sooner you start treatment the better for the birds. It is best to confirm the diagnosis with a fecal test at the vet tho. Any ordinary vet can test for worms and cocci and advise as to the best treatment.

Jody

 

[PurpleChicken]

Thank you.

 

[PurpleChicken]

I wanted to update this thread in case anyone finds it in the future.

Some of my birds had bloody poops but were otherwise healthy.

What I did:
1-Put them on a fast for 18 hours to clear out their crops. (Water only)
2-Re-engineered my grit and oyster shell system so they have it
24/7 with easier access.
3-Stopped feeding them a bird seed treat they loved with sunflower
seeds in it.

No more bloody poop. They may have had Cocci and fought it off since
they are strong young birds but I suspect the sunflower shells and lack of
consistent grit was the real cause. My birds ranging time has been cut
back as the days become shorter so access to natural grit was limited.

 

[redwa]

I thought black oil sunflower seeds are good for the chickens (in moderation of course...). Were yours a different kind of sunflower seed?

 

[PurpleChicken]

They were a little dry and brittle. I had an older bag of
mixed bird seed. It was dry, not moldy, but old. It was probably
just a coincidance.