Diarrhea after feed change

[jeanneros]

Hi there...I just switched my 16 week old hens to a layer feed ...(one hen has started laying 1 egg per day) and noticed today liquid stool under the roosting bars..
I do allow them to free range about an hour in th AM and PM

Is this something to be concerned about ? I have one rooster the same age ..

I'm a newbie chicken mom

 

[picklestheduck]

Did you mix the foods when you changed it or did you just stop the old feed and start the new? What feed have you used?

 

[Brooks_]

Hi there...I just switched my 16 week old hens to a layer feed ...(one hen has started laying 1 egg per day) and noticed today liquid stool under the roosting bars..
I do allow them to free range about an hour in th AM and PM

Is this something to be concerned about ? I have one rooster the same age ..

I'm a newbie chicken mom

It could be the feed change ( if so, it should clear up relatively soon), or it could be from increased water intake from the heat of summer. With a rooster I would advise against layer feed at all and instead suggest starter or all flock with oyster shell served separately (free choice) for the ones that need extra calcium (the laying chickens).

 

[jeanneros]

Did you mix the foods when you changed it or did you just stop the old feed and start the new? What feed have you used?

I just started the new feed.. I didn't have enough of the chick starter feed to mix and didn't want to buy another bag of it.

 

[picklestheduck]

I just started the new feed.. I didn't have enough of the chick starter feed to mix and didn't want to buy another bag of it.

An abrupt change in food could bother their systems. I would suggest mixing food for a while before you change it if you ever change foods again but if they act ok they will probably be fine. Watch them and make sure they continue to act ok