Diarrhea in Chicks?

[BrindleFinch]

Hey everyone... I know this is kind of a stupid question (probably) but I was wondering if diarrhea in young cheeps is a cause for concern so long as everyone seems okay?

Everyone's eating, pushing, cuddling, drinking as what I can assume to be normal. A few of the chicks were shipped; could it be the remnants of shipping stress?

They're being fed fermented food, perhaps they're just getting too much moisture? I have free choice dry as well in there for them. Should I lessen their amount of fermented offered a day? Or should I just cut it? They seem to really love it.

(also, this is slightly unrelated, but I was wondering if it's okay to massage a chicken's crop? One of my chicks absolutely loves chest rubs but I'm worried it may interfere with something... I'm the first time mom calling the doctor because my baby coughed once )

 

[Ch8ckenhelp]

Hey everyone... I know this is kind of a stupid question (probably) but I was wondering if diarrhea in young cheeps is a cause for concern so long as everyone seems okay?

Everyone's eating, pushing, cuddling, drinking as what I can assume to be normal. A few of the chicks were shipped; could it be the remnants of shipping stress?

They're being fed fermented food, perhaps they're just getting too much moisture? I have free choice dry as well in there for them. Should I lessen their amount of fermented offered a day? Or should I just cut it? They seem to really love it.

(also, this is slightly unrelated, but I was wondering if it's okay to massage a chicken's crop? One of my chicks absolutely loves chest rubs but I'm worried it may interfere with something... I'm the first time mom calling the doctor because my baby coughed once )

I've never tried fermented food with my chicks, so I'm not sure how it affects chicks, but if you're a first-time chicken owner, what you're seeing might not be diarrhea. As odd as it sounds, chickens have a variety of different kinds of poop, sometimes its more solid, sometimes its almost completely liquid. As long as they aren't constantly having soft poop, they should be fine. Try turning them over and checking their butts. You can usually tell if a chick is nice and healthy if they have a clean butt. I always feed my chicks MannaPro medicated chick starter for the first 8 weeks of their lives. Also, a little tip, make sure your chicks are able to range and scratch for food from a young age. They get an extra boost of nutrients if you add in chick grit or a box of dirt. It also teaches them dirt-bathing at a young age. And about the chest rubs, that's completely fine, my chicks love that too.