Chick Pooping with Blood! Help!

[SillyChick]

Hello

We have a pair of 45 day-old New Hampshire chicks. They are getting a little too big for the brooder so we moved them to the coop with 2 older New Hampshire Reds. It's been a few days now and I let them out of the coop for some free-ranging. They roosted on a stem on a tree, and then they sat. Then, they pooped blood! OMG! I was quite worried so I put them back in the coop. Then they pooped again, with blood! Now I'm scared........They've been doing doing fine though - eating, drinking, sleeping and pooping normally, they look fine. But blood in poop! What do you think is the cause?I'm thinking worms...... Please..... My chicks need your help! What is the disease? What do I need to do to help? What is the cure?

Thanks in advance! (Please hurry

)

 

[Alexis]

Cocci or Capillaria (worms) may be the cause. There are meds available for both and lots of info on the boards here.

Could it be "frank" blood? It's visual blood IN the stool caused by a change in diet. It may be just a matter of time before they adjust to eating new things like corn or stuff they find when freeranging. It can appear as bright red (which, I agree, is alarming!) but only in lines mixed in the poo. Or around it. Does it contain lots of mucous? If so, then it could be the body adjusting itself to pass the temporarily irritating food.

If it's free blood, or all blood without hardly any poo, then you could be in trouble. In this case, barring a disease that needs medication, then you'd cut back on the corn or other sharp foods they may be ingesting that is new to them. Might take a few days.

Were/are you using medicated feed?

 

[SillyChick]

Oh thank you so much for the info! What a great forum this is!

They did change their diet from chick feed to grower mash. Not using medicated chick feed, but I give them vitamins in their water.

Not quite sure on the poop though - they were roosting on a high branch when they pooped; the bloodied poop splattered on the lower branches and it's quite hard to identify, but it surely is red. I'll check on their poop again. Thanks again and more info is greatly appreciated!

 

[sammi]

treat for cocci...
exposure to the adult chickens can be the cause.

it's possible they could have worms...

to be sure, you can have a fecal test done for worms and protozoa (cocci).
you only need to take 1 sample.
but cocci is a quick killer of chicks...

Corid or amprollium
Sulmet liquid.