Chick with persistent diarrhea, help!

[chxmommajess]

Hi!
I have four chicks, five weeks old. Brooder between 65-75 degrees. I’ve noticed that one of them has persistent watery diarrhea, really since the beginning. She is eating and drinking well, growing at the same rate of the other chicks. She has access to snacks since four weeks, but also access to grit. None of the other girls have this issue, I’ve treated for coccidiosis, no worms or blood present. Should I worry? Any ideas?

 

[azygous]

I had such a chick. First day I brought her home with her three Speckled Sussex sisters and put them all into the brooder, I heard a mighty "SPLORT!" The tiny thing hosed out a watery poop that sounded like an elephant with a bad cold.

Like you, I was very concerned the brooder was too hot or she had an intestinal bug or GOODGODSHE'SDYING!

The watery splorts continued all that first week and by the end of the second week, I was getting used to them, and by the time the chicks were six weeks old, I figured watery splorts was just her default style of poop. In fact, it may have had a lot to do with her fixation on the waterer. All her life, she spent much more time drinking water than all the others.

That chicken was never sick a day in her eight years of life. She continued to have watery splorts and if she had a solid poop, it was out of the blue and rare. One day in her eighth year, she pooped out some waxy material - caseous mass of pus. She had salpingitis, an infection of the reproductive tract. By the time the pus is excreted, called lash material, the infection is almost always incurable. She died in her sleep just before she turned nine years.

As long as your chick is growing and active and keeping up with her mates, don't worry. She'll probably outlive most of the chickens.

 

[chxmommajess]

Thank t

I had such a chick. First day I brought her home with her three Speckled Sussex sisters and put them all into the brooder, I heard a mighty "SPLORT!" The tiny thing hosed out a watery poop that sounded like an elephant with a bad cold.

Like you, I was very concerned the brooder was too hot or she had an intestinal bug or GOODGODSHE'SDYING!

The watery splorts continued all that first week and by the end of the second week, I was getting used to them, and by the time the chicks were six weeks old, I figured watery splorts was just her default style of poop. In fact, it may have had a lot to do with her fixation on the waterer. All her life, she spent much more time drinking water than all the others.

That chicken was never sick a day in her eight years of life. She continued to have watery splorts and if she had a solid poop, it was out of the blue and rare. One day in her eighth year, she pooped out some waxy material - caseous mass of pus. She had salpingitis, an infection of the reproductive tract. By the time the pus is excreted, called lash material, the infection is almost always incurable. She died in her sleep just before she turned nine years.

As long as your chick is growing and active and keeping up with her mates, don't worry. She'll probably outlive most of the chickens.
[/QUOTE

Thank you so much. This puts me at ease. I’m such a nervous chicken mom.