Clear watery / milky chick droppings???

[PennyM16]

Hi, for the past 1-2 days my 5 week old Serama pullet has been producing clear, runny poops occasionally with solid bits in them, and sometimes runny, milky looking ones- is this normal..? I was reading some on them and a lot were saying of it gets too hot but it's definitely not hot here- any ideas? Thanks!

 

[azygous]

There could be another reason other than it being too warm for this chick to be drinking a lot of water. Have you checked the crop? Sometimes an impacted crop will cause a chicken to drink a lot of water.

Is the chick extending its neck and doing a swivel motion? Is the crop very full and hard? Has the chick had access to appropriate grit? Has the chick been grazing in long grass or other fibrous material?

To be sure about the crop, chick it first thing in the morning before you give the chick any food. If it's not flat and empty, you probably need to treat for a crop disorder.

By the way, your actual geographical location actually provides us with lots of information when we're trying to figure out what could be going on with your chicken.

 

[PennyM16]

There could be another reason other than it being too warm for this chick to be drinking a lot of water. Have you checked the crop? Sometimes an impacted crop will cause a chicken to drink a lot of water.

Is the chick extending its neck and doing a swivel motion? Is the crop very full and hard? Has the chick had access to appropriate grit? Has the chick been grazing in long grass or other fibrous material?

To be sure about the crop, chick it first thing in the morning before you give the chick any food. If it's not flat and empty, you probably need to treat for a crop disorder.

By the way, your actual geographical location actually provides us with lots of information when we're trying to figure out what could be going on with your chicken.

Her crop is functioning fine- was nice and full before she went to bed and empty when I checked it again. No swivel neck movements that I have seen. It is possible she could have eaten hair- would that do the same as grass?

I live in Marina, California.

 

[azygous]

If her crop is emptying overnight, then there isn't anything wrong in her crop. If you feel a little hard knot in the crop in the morning, then maybe she has a blockage, and hair can be a problem since it doesn't break down and can cause the crop to slow.

How is she behaving? Is she bright eyed and running around doing chick biz or is she dragging herself around like an old chicken?

 

[PennyM16]

If her crop is emptying overnight, then there isn't anything wrong in her crop. If you feel a little hard knot in the crop in the morning, then maybe she has a blockage, and hair can be a problem since it doesn't break down and can cause the crop to slow.

How is she behaving? Is she bright eyed and running around doing chick biz or is she dragging herself around like an old chicken?

She is acting perfectly normal and hyper as usual

 

[PennyM16]

Oh, it looks normal today!! (Her droppings)

 

[azygous]

This is why poop is only one little factor in assessing the health of a chicken. Behavior carries much more weight.

If a chicken is acting "off" at the same time the poop is "off", you can then assume something is "off". If there's only one thing that's "off", you just need to keep an eye on that critter for a bit until it either resolves or develops into something.

 

[PennyM16]

I guess I am just overly paranoid about anything even slightly abnormal with my chickies haha

 

[azygous]

Yes, so are many of us. It's not a bad thing.