Chick has diarrhea.

[nancykay2kay]

I have four chicks that are about a week old. One of them has 'runny bottom'. I don't know which one it is. They are all four running around and eating and drinking. I started giving them a little oatmeal yesterday when I realized it could get to be a problem. I put a little grit in it. It seemed to be helping but not so much today. I have watched them and can not determine which one has the problem or if it is more than one. Is this normal? I have kept the water fresh and have put in a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to a quart of water.

 

[azygous]

Diarrhea is relentless and smelly and not an occasional thing as regular poop is. The chick is usually lethargic and dehydrated with diarrhea.

If your chick has watery poop, on the other hand, it may not be exactly normal, but it may not be cause for concern, either, especially if the chick is indistinguishable from the others in behavior.

At one week old, occasional watery poop is to be expected. If it seems to be happening often, it could be because the brooder is being kept too hot, forcing the chicks to drink a lot of water.

Then there is the occasional chick where very watery poop is a default condition. Seven years ago, I bought four chicks from the feed store, installed them in the brooder, and began to notice one chick was audibly producing "splorts". I thought she was sick, but she behaved normally in every other respect except for very watery poop.

Seven years later, that chick is now a hen that audibly produces very watery "splorts". She rarely produces solid poops. She has laid regularly for seven years, including this current season. She has never been sick a minute in her long life.

 

[nancykay2kay]

Thank you so much for the response. Should I feed them oatmeal? If so, do they need grit? I do not want to separate them but I would be treating all of them to the same diet. I still do not know which one it is. They seem fine, active, eating, drinking . . . I will continue to monitor them and the temperature. These are my first chicks so the help is appreciated.

 

[azygous]

Baby chicks do fine with raw rolled oats. No need to cook it. But it's a treat to be offered sparingly since it doesn't have all the balanced nutrients they need for development. Yes, grit will be necessary if you feed oats.

Can you provide a picture of the poop that concerns you? If you place paper toweling over the bedding, assuming it's shavings, and put all the chicks on it for an hour or two, you should get a good sampling of poop that shows up nicely on the flat white background of the paper towels.

If I see a photo of the poop in question, I can tell you if you need to be worried or not.

 

[nancykay2kay]

I will do that tomorrow. Thanks again.

 

[Farmgal101]

Welcome to BYC,We are happy to answer any questions you may have
Sorry to hear about your chick...i wish it the best!the people above have gave you good info