Broody with green poo!

[caralouise1974]

My cochin is on day 16 of setting 12 eggs, and is very determined. I have to lift her off every day for a poo, and she's actually being quite good about eating and drinking, as the food and water are right under her beak, next to the nest.

However, her poo has started to become very green over the last week or so! I wonder if she's not eating enough, and it's bile making the odd colouring, or perhaps her diet is doing it - she will only eat sunflower hearts, crushed peanuts and cherry tomatoes! Quite a high protein diet, so again, perhaps responsible for the colour. The consistency and amount of poo seems normal (for a broody anyway!). She's also doing a normal-looking caecal poo once a day too.

She seems very healthy otherwise though, and flaps, preens and exercises very vigorously when she's out for her poo break. I don't see the water level in the bowl going down very much so I'm not sure she's drinking a lot, but the poo is always nice and moist, with normal-looking white urates, so I suppose she's probably getting enough fluid.

Am I worrying about nothing? Or could the green poo be a sign that I need to take some action?

Thanks all.

 

[Gonzo]

I wouldn't stress it at all. Maybe her diet is causing the discoloration. Maybe someone more experienced with this will chime in...

 

[elmo]

I wouldn't worry.

Well, let me rephrase that. I would worry (I worry about everything!) but I wouldn't intervene. It's extremely likely this is just normal poo based on what she's eating.

My three hens just hatched out clutches this month, and I weighed them before and after the hatch. They each lost about 20 percent of their body weight, so it's clear brooding and raising chicks is a taxing process. I've noticed that even now my hens always feed their chicks whatever choice bits I offer them, rather than eat themselves. I find it very heartwarming.

 

[caralouise1974]

Thanks both! I was hoping it wouldn't be necessary to fuss around with her too much this late in the hatching process.

However, I just had a bit of a sad mishap as she came out for today's poo break - as she stepped back into the nest I heard a sickening crunch... I looked under her and she had completely smashed one of the salmon favorelle eggs and the poor chick was fully developing inside. It was very sad and she looked quite distressed by it, but these things happen I suppose

I was really hoping for a fav too - we only had three fav eggs under her (out of a total of 12), so it looks like my odds of getting a fav pullet have just been reduced by a third. Bummer

 

[redrocketrooster]

Quote:
Aww poor girl. It's always sad when you see a broody accidentally harm her eggs and chickas. The good moms have this look on them like "OH WHAT HAVE I DONE!??".

 

[caralouise1974]

It was a really awful moment actually - she looked all confused and pecked at the chick trying to push it back under her. I had to mop up all the blood and yolk of course, and that seemed to upset her even more. I felt really bad for her.

Poor chickie, and poor Topsy

 

[ICallMyselfCherie']

That is so terribly sad!!! I'm so sorry you both had to go through that!!!

I've been so afraid that was going to happen with my broody, so everytime I bring her back from taking her to poo I take the eggs out of the nest and put them back under her when she's settled in. She's a white silkie and very mellow, so she lets me do that. Hopefully your broody will let you do that, too!

 

[caralouise1974]

Blimey, I'm not brave enough to mess with the eggs myself! I'd feel even worse if it were me that had accidentally dropped or cracked the egg. At least it really was just one of those things, and I can only think that the shell must've been thin in any case, so perhaps the chick wasn't even destined to do well.

I can try and convince myself anyway...

 

[BarkerChickens]

As for the green poo....it is because she isn't eating much. Broody hens don't eat as much as normal when they are sitting on the nest. As long as she is acting fine and alert, I wouldn't worry.

As for the broken egg...I am sorry!

 

[ICallMyselfCherie']

Really? I think I trust myself more with eggs than I trust my hens!!

I've seen them eat them too many times -- not with babies in them though, thank goodness. But I tried to give an egg I already knew wasn't any good to my second hen who, granted, isn't broody. A few times she started to sit on it, even pushing it undernieth her with her beak the way they do, but all of a sudden there was that horrible crunch, and she had crushed it flat and there was goo all over her foot. She looked down at it like she didn't know what had happened, then leaned down and started slurping it up!!!

Since then, I haven't been able to even trust my broody. For one thing, I was totally spooked by that, and for another, I HAVE seen her step on her eggs when I wasn't quick enough pulling them out before I put her in the nest. I made her nest in a wicker basket with two fluffy towels covered by several inches of pine wood chips. I always still take the eggs out before I put her in, but I know if for some reason she does step on them they'll have a lot of cushion to sink into before they get so much pressure on them. I also think it probably provides more even warmth.

When I give her eggs back to her, I just slide them under her one by one. She lifts her chest up when I go to give them back, because she knows what I'm doing. Then she does that funny mechanical sort of shifting thing to get them all covered. Then I push some of the wood chips up against her and the eggs to make sure none of them will be exposed.

So, you don't handle the eggs at all? Do you not candle them? It's so exciting!!