Diarrhoea in chicks

[-Olive-]

Hi my 8 week old chicks have been pooping like water the last few days. It’s been super hot here but they’ve had water. One thing is they've been having some lettuce as treats but only just had grit for the first time today. The lady in the shop said chicks don’t need grit but I decided against it and finally gave it to them as they’ve been getting treats for several weeks.

Do you think the hot weather + lettuce + no grit has caused this? They are otherwise fine in themselves and don’t even have dirty bums. I’ve never kept chicks before these but I don’t want to rush them to the vet when they seem otherwise fine.

 

[coach723]

If they are eating anything other than chick starter, then yes, they should have access to grit. If they are outside on the ground, they can pick up any number of things that they need the grit to digest. If it's hot they may be drinking more water to help cool themselves and that can make droppings runny. If they are acting fine, eating and drinking and running around like normal, then I'd just keep an eye on them. If they act sick, sleepy, stop eating or drinking well, sit around fluffed up, seem off, then something else is going on.

 

[-Olive-]

If they are eating anything other than chick starter, then yes, they should have access to grit. If they are outside on the ground, they can pick up any number of things that they need the grit to digest. If it's hot they may be drinking more water to help cool themselves and that can make droppings runny. If they are acting fine, eating and drinking and running around like normal, then I'd just keep an eye on them. If they act sick, sleepy, stop eating or drinking well, sit around fluffed up, seem off, then something else is going on.

Thank you. That’s what I thought tbh. They’re outside but the run is mostly soil and bark, so not really much there for natural grit. Small grit arrived today & I've put it out in bowl as well as sprinkled it around. Hopefully they get the hang of it.

Yeah I thought they should have had grit this whole time, I should have gone with my instincts to start with. I will keep an eye on them. I found them eating polystyrene severel weeks ago! (It has been removed for a while now). They also live with bunnies. Thanks for replying so quick.

 

[coach723]

Chicks will peck at (and sometimes eat) just about anything. I had my flock eat about 2 feet of foam pipe insulation off a hose riser once, everyone was fine. Replaced the insulation and covered it with gorilla tape, they can't pick that off! No matter how hard you try, they sometimes manage to find things we didn't think about.

 

[Vickischics]

I do not feed my chicks anything except feed until they are laying. Then, they get a treat consistent of washed fruits & veggies. Make sure your washing all your fruits and veggies. The pesticides on the produce can kill your chickens.
Once you commit to permitting them to feed on anything other than chicken feed, they need grit & oyster shell. This will also be the time you end up dealing with a crop issue. Check your chicks crop every morning for being empty and address the issue quickly if its not. You always want to be proactive with preventative care. Your lil chicks will bless you with lots of eggs someday.

 

[-Olive-]

I do not feed my chicks anything except feed until they are laying. Then, they get a treat consistent of washed fruits & veggies. Make sure your washing all your fruits and veggies. The pesticides on the produce can kill your chickens.
Once you commit to permitting them to feed on anything other than chicken feed, they need grit & oyster shell. This will also be the time you end up dealing with a crop issue. Check your chicks crop every morning for being empty and address the issue quickly if its not. You always want to be proactive with preventative care. Your lil chicks will bless you with lots of eggs someday.

Thank you for the advice & quick reply.

 

[Vickischics]

Thank you for the advice & quick reply.

I learned the hard way and Kiki (one of the experts) helped me but, the chick died.