Chicken poop smell

[skraut]

Hi have a question about poop smells. I rotate my chickens around and have never had an issue where they have smelled too bad. Mainly an hay grassy with a slight stink (Australorps, Opintons, Wyndotte, Marans). I got some new chickens from a hatchery last spring (Dorkings). With the new chickens have come some of the most foul smelling poop I have ever experienced with chickens. All poop is normal looking. I did not see any worms or anything that would indicate a worm overload or parasite issue, but wondering if the smell could be indicating a problem with parasites. I thought possibly I saw a hair worm in an egg, but wasn’t sure if it was just were the egg attached to the shell shifted or something. It wasn’t very long (maybe as long as my pinky nail) so I am thinking it was just that piece that attaches to the egg shifted weird when cracked and I haven’t seen this any other time. I didn’t examine the egg much other than just a quick seeing of that. They all look healthy and act healthy other than the poop smelling soooo bad. Wondering if this could be an indicator of anything? Yes, I know poop stinks, but I have never experienced it being like this foul before. Thoughts?

 

[townchicks]

I would have a fecal checked for worms. It's also possible that it is diet related. Maybe try some probiotics.

 

[nuthatched]

What do you feed?

 

[skraut]

What do you feed?

I had originally fed them Dumor laying pellets 16% protein. Then switched last month to a Kalmbach nonGMO laying pellets. It is still the same since switching feed. I switched feed because it appeared to me something had changed in the Dumor feed. It smelled different and their laying cut back a lot (not due to molting or weather changes), so I switched it and they started laying regularly again.

 

[skraut]

I would have a fecal checked for worms. It's also possible that it is diet related. Maybe try some probiotics.

I may end up having fecals checked. In the meantime I definitely will try the probiotics. That's a great idea and I hadn't thought to try it before. I use on my sheep occasionally but didn't think about trying to use some for the chickens. Thanks!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

It's not just cecal poops? Because those really do stink.

 

[skraut]

It's not just cecal poops? Because those really do stink.

Thought about that but it seems like it is all the time since these newer birds last spring from the hatchery. Where as before I would get a whiff of the crack poop occasionally. Now it seems all the times the smell is there.