Blood in Stool and a Darker Egg

[dsbailey70]

While blocking off my nesting boxes for the night, I noticed some wet pine shavings behind one of my Silkies. Nothing looked unusual, until I found that she some poop on her backside; she also has very little feathering back there right now. I wiped her off with first a wet, then a dry paper towel. On the dry paper towel, I noticed what looks like it may be blood. It wasn't bright red, or a lot. What could cause this?

She's under very little stress, if any at all. She's been on Purina layer pellets, and water with layer vitamins. She'd also been laying a few soft eggs, but yesterday she Layed a regular one. Today was regular too, except this is the darkest egg I've ever seen from her.

Should I be concerned by the blood (if it is blood), or the darker egg?

 

[Teila]

Hi there dsbailey70

Firstly, I am far from an expert in what ails chickens but you mentioned "she has very little feathering back there right now" and it looks like the blood may be coming off her as opposed to in her stools?

If the blood is not in her stools, my immediate thoughts on vent feather loss and blood would be parasites or traumatic feather pulling, either by her or one of her companions.

 

[dsbailey70]

I believe that the blood came from inside. I haven't seen active bleeding, or bright blood in the bulk of her stool. I saw what appeared to be a little blood (photo) when I wiped her off the second time. She had been sitting on eggs a while before I got her; this is the cause of her feather loss back there. I also checked her vent more closely and found, just inside, 2-3 specks of what appears to be old blood. In humans, this might indicate an internal bleeding ulcer; the specks would be what was sloughed off. She shows no signs of illness. So far she's been feeding/drinking and acting normally.

 

[Teila]

That is good news that the blood does not appear to be in her stools dsbailey70

How old is she? Has she been laying for a while? Was the darker egg maybe larger than normal? Have you noted any blood on her eggs?

She may have done a little damage laying an egg. I have had eggs with a small amount of blood on them when a broody hen is returning to laying or a hen lays an egg a little larger than normal.

 

[dsbailey70]

I've not seen any blood in the eggs. The darker brown egg could be my BR's first egg, although I found the Silkie (Pearl) sitting on it tonight, so I'm not sure who it belongs to. I'll take a pic of it next to Pearl's egg from Thursday (she didn't lay yesterday). I was told that she was a little over 1yr when I got her, but others now say she's under a year...bottom line idk..

 

[Teila]

If it was me, I would not be too concerned at this stage but would definitely be keeping a close eye on her

If you have ruled out parasites, the blood is not actually in the stool, she lays a normal egg, her vent does not appear to get any worse and she continues to eat and drink; you can probably put it down to a small tear when laying an egg.

But, as I said, keep a close eye on her.

 

[dsbailey70]

The egg on the left is from Pearl on Thursday. That was her first regular egg in a few days. This eve when they put themselves up for the night, she was sitting on the egg on the right; although idk whether she layed it. My BR, Annie, has been occasionally squatting the past several days when I try to pet her, maybe it's hers...

 

[Teila]

Just my humble opinion but I think you can chalk that darker egg up to Annie

 

[dsbailey70]

Great! Her first egg That's much darker than any of the Silkies eggs so far.

 

[dsbailey70]

After bathing and drying her last night, I left her closed in the bathroom, with a portable nest box. She ate about 10 pellets of feed when I handed it to her, but nothing from the feeder. This morning, she layed a soft egg, with some light (blood?) smearing. In the box there was a normal looking brown poop. Running down her backside was not much, but was white, and slightly thicker than last night. There were no signs of any blood in that, or in the other stool. I don't see any active bleeding either. Her eyes look good, and although she seems alert, she didn't move around much last night or this morning; usually still in whatever spot I left her.