Chick poo like mud

[TanisGirl]

My 3 week old Wyandottes have poo like mud. Should I be worried? This pic attached shows what it looks like today -consistency of melted, runny caramel, the colour of mud.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

That looks like Cecal Poop. Does the chick also produce a formed "normal" poop as well?

Chickens have 2 types of poop - normal and cecal. A chicken produces a cecal poop about 1 out of every 8-10 normal poops.

If you are seeing that just a couple of times a day, I would not worry unless the chick is lethargic and not eating/drinking.
It's a little dark, but poop can be a lot of different colors and textures. What do you feed your chicks (including treats)?

 

[Saaniya]

View attachment 1537424 My 3 week old Wyandottes have poo like mud. Should I be worried? This pic attached shows what it looks like today -consistency of melted, runny caramel, the colour of mud.

It's Cecal poo & it stinks bad

 

[TanisGirl]

I feed them Haystack chick feed with a little cornmeal sprinkled on top for the first few weeks in the brooder. A cap full of apple cider vinegar in a 4 cup water feeder. Treats are watermelon chunks and mealworms and I’ve given homemade wheat bread crumbs. I stay away from anything with salt and processing.
I’ve seen the “butterscotch” poo but never a dark, tar-like one before from any of them.
I’m kind of anal (no pun intended ) and keep an eye on everyone’s droppings.
Although, I have been putting them in a pen inside the chicken run for a few hours a day, during the warmest time so they can enjoy the sun and get some play time amidst the bigger “kids.” Is it possible it may be too cold? The pen gets direct sun on half of it (so they can be in sun or out -their choice). Was hoping the lower temp outside would help speed up them feathering out (per what I’ve read) as I want to be able to get them in the coop with the others on a full time basis as soon as possible. We have to leave for about 4 days at the beginning of the month and it’s difficult to find someone to take on chicks in addition to regular chicken sitting.
We are in Central Oregon (just north of Bend), so fall temps hit us mid August. I’ve read that if they get too cold, it’ll show in their poops. It’s warm in the sun right now, but brisk breezes and shade.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Do you still see poops that dark or was it just the one time?

As for temperature, I do watch that too, but have found that chick behavior is a very good indicator as to whether they are comfortable or not.

 

[TanisGirl]

So far, only that one time...