Feed and cecal poop... help?

[MrsKnoxChickens]

I have noticed over the past few weeks the amount of waste including cecal poop has quadrupled in my flock. the few changes that I can think of that may be factors could be:

Changes in weather? it is getting cold here and in East Texas the weather fluctuates pretty drastically it can be 75 one day and 32 the next then 70 again the next. that can be jarring for most human systems let alone something that stays outside. does this have an effect? or am I overthinking this part?
The feed store I buy from stopped carrying the feed I was using so I switched to Purina I did notice they went through that bag a lot faster than previous bags. Are chickens like dogs in that aspect that they will continue to eat to meet their dietary needs meaning if it is a food with a lower nutritional value they will eat more to get what they need meaning more waste? will a different feed like this also cause a change in cecal poops? its runny and very smelly and reddish brown. not something i've ever really noticed much of before but with a drastic increase of it it is hard to miss. I thought it was diarrhea at first but after some research i'm fairly sure it is not unless they have worms I am not aware of. it is not 100% of their poop but I believe a couple of my older birds more than the younger bunch.
I have increased the frequency I am adding rooster booster to their water because of the colder weather in hopes of helping them maintaining health. can this cause changes in waste production and smell? or an increase in cecal poops? am I essentially overdosing them with vitamins?

Also I have not de-wormed them but I did give them pumpkin guts in late october which they loved. I have read a lot of very mixed information on deworming as a preventive, deworming when you see worms, natural dewormers its all a little overwhelming honestly. I feel like I should deworm them but what with and for what type of worms for how long and how long do I withhold eggs. I have heard there are dewormers out there that once you use them you can never sell eggs after that and be FDA certified.... that's a little scary... Is that something I'm consuming as well?

Help?

Thanks in advance!!
Mrs. Knox!
My Feathered friends thank you as well!

 

[Little Chicken Girl]

Hello Mrs Knox!

Dewormers can be given to chickens (and the eggs can still be sold). The dewormer must be approved by the FDA (for use on poultry). However, most de-wormers have a withdrawal period. This means that you are not supposed to eat the eggs for a certain number of days (1-2 weeks, usually) after treating the chickens. Generally though, wormers are designed to move through the gut quickly and be absorbed as little as possible. For this reason, contamination in the eggs is not very likely. If you are going to sell eggs though, allow the full withdrawal period to ensure safety. Here is a helpful article on wormers for chickens: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2015/11/control-treatment-of-worms-in-chickens.html

As for the extra poos, chickens have a very neat way of keeping themselves warm. Chickens have the ability to produce more heat by consuming more food. For this reason, chickens can eat up to 2X as much when it is cold outside without getting fat... which means they can poop up to 2X as much... I would, however, take a picture of the poos and post it on this thread. I may not be able to discern abnormalities but there are a lot of pros on here that could tell you if something about your chickens' manure is amiss.

A note on Rooster Booster: Although It contains vitamins, It is an antibiotic. (You can read more about it here: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2016/09/antibiotics-use-rules-change-what-usda.html). Do not feed rooster booster to chickens long term for health. To many antibiotics can cause diarrhea and other health problems in chickens.

 

[MrsKnoxChickens]

Hello Mrs Knox!

Dewormers can be given to chickens (and the eggs can still be sold). The dewormer must be approved by the FDA (for use on poultry). However, most de-wormers have a withdrawal period. This means that you are not supposed to eat the eggs for a certain number of days (1-2 weeks, usually) after treating the chickens. Generally though, wormers are designed to move through the gut quickly and be absorbed as little as possible. For this reason, contamination in the eggs is not very likely. If you are going to sell eggs though, allow the full withdrawal period to ensure safety. Here is a helpful article on wormers for chickens: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2015/11/control-treatment-of-worms-in-chickens.html

As for the extra poos, chickens have a very neat way of keeping themselves warm. Chickens have the ability to produce more heat by consuming more food. For this reason, chickens can eat up to 2X as much when it is cold outside without getting fat... which means they can poop up to 2X as much... I would, however, take a picture of the poos and post it on this thread. I may not be able to discern abnormalities but there are a lot of pros on here that could tell you if something about your chickens' manure is amiss.

A note on Rooster Booster: Although It contains vitamins, It is an antibiotic. (You can read more about it here: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2016/09/antibiotics-use-rules-change-what-usda.html). Do not feed rooster booster to chickens long term for health. To many antibiotics can cause diarrhea and other health problems in chickens.

This is actually a HUGE help! The extra food = warmth / extra waste makes perfect sense!

I will definitely take some pictures though. I am curious to know if worms are part of my problem and what kind...?

It is possible the rooster booster may be part of my problem and I will keep that to an as needed basis.

I do have a couple issues with one bird my sussex roo. he seems to prefer to roost on the ground/dropping board under the roosting bars inside the coop. I have tried going into the coop at night for several days in a row and moving him to the bars with the other chickens I added an additional bar thinking there was not enough room for everyone. He just seems to prefer it down there. The problem is he is being poo'd on and with the increase of waste and of the cecal poops it's becoming rather gross fast. I have also noticed he has some dirty feathers near his vent. not super dirty but it's hard to tell if it's from him or because he roosts on the ground. I'm not sure what to do about him... Any suggestions.... Mr. Knox has nicknamed him McPoopie feathers but my poor white bird is turning brown and smelly and he doesn't seem to care...

 

[Little Chicken Girl]

This is actually a HUGE help! The extra food = warmth / extra waste makes perfect sense!

I will definitely take some pictures though. I am curious to know if worms are part of my problem and what kind...?

It is possible the rooster booster may be part of my problem and I will keep that to an as needed basis.

I do have a couple issues with one bird my sussex roo. he seems to prefer to roost on the ground/dropping board under the roosting bars inside the coop. I have tried going into the coop at night for several days in a row and moving him to the bars with the other chickens I added an additional bar thinking there was not enough room for everyone. He just seems to prefer it down there. The problem is he is being poo'd on and with the increase of waste and of the cecal poops it's becoming rather gross fast. I have also noticed he has some dirty feathers near his vent. not super dirty but it's hard to tell if it's from him or because he roosts on the ground. I'm not sure what to do about him... Any suggestions.... Mr. Knox has nicknamed him McPoopie feathers but my poor white bird is turning brown and smelly and he doesn't seem to care...

I would give your sussex roo a bath on the next possible warm/sunny day. Manure can ruin feathers and can cause matting.
(You can see how to do that here---> http://www.hobbyfarms.com/how-to-give-your-chicken-a-bath/)

As for solving the issue on a more permanent basis, here are some suggestions...

Since chickens are very habitual, manually placing them on the roost for a straight week usually breaks the habit of ground-sleeping. If that doesn't work, your rooster could have some reason for why he doesn't like to perch (below)

Light: Chickens see very poorly in the dark. If the coop gets to dark to early in the day (sheltered by trees and/or very enclosed), some chickens can have problems getting on roosts by themselves.

Height: Some breeds (like Sussexes, orpingtons, Cochins and silkies) cannot fly well. If the perching is over a certain height (more than 3-4 feet), it could be hard for your roo to get on the perching area by himself.

Other possible reasons: If you put him on the perch at night and he appears on the ground the following morning, it could be balance or foot-feel issue. Some chickens don't balance very well on bars and some chickens just plain don't like the feel of perching on poles/bars and would rather be on the ground. Some of my chickens downright refuse to perch on rounded perching and will only perch on flat boards (I got the best results with 3-4" wide boards).

However, these are just some suggestions that I have found worked for me. Every flock is different.

 

[lazy gardener]

I would not treat my flock with antihelminthics unless worms were diagnosed in my flock, and then only if they were at a level which warranted treatment. It's perfectly normal for an animal to have a few internal parasites. It's only when the numbers warrant treatment that the animal should be treated. How old is your roo, and what breed? If he's less than a year old, he is actually a cockerel. Big difference between behavior of a cockerel and a mature roo!

 

[MrsKnoxChickens]

I would give your sussex roo a bath on the next possible warm/sunny day. Manure can ruin feathers and can cause matting.
(You can see how to do that here---> http://www.hobbyfarms.com/how-to-give-your-chicken-a-bath/)

As for solving the issue on a more permanent basis, here are some suggestions...

Since chickens are very habitual, manually placing them on the roost for a straight week usually breaks the habit of ground-sleeping. If that doesn't work, your rooster could have some reason for why he doesn't like to perch (below)

Light: Chickens see very poorly in the dark. If the coop gets to dark to early in the day (sheltered by trees and/or very enclosed), some chickens can have problems getting on roosts by themselves.

Height: Some breeds (like Sussexes, orpingtons, Cochins and silkies) cannot fly well. If the perching is over a certain height (more than 3-4 feet), it could be hard for your roo to get on the perching area by himself.

Other possible reasons: If you put him on the perch at night and he appears on the ground the following morning, it could be balance or foot-feel issue. Some chickens don't balance very well on bars and some chickens just plain don't like the feel of perching on poles/bars and would rather be on the ground. Some of my chickens downright refuse to perch on rounded perching and will only perch on flat boards (I got the best results with 3-4" wide boards).

However, these are just some suggestions that I have found worked for me. Every flock is different.

Thanks for the feedback! I will continue to try putting him on the bars. The bars I'm using are 2x4's and I know he can get up there because I've seen him do it and you're right there is no telling his why for not staying. My primary thought is pecking order he is not fully mature and really low in the order and kind of a scaredy cat and weenie despite being the biggest bird in the whole flock.

I want to give him a bath but the weather report shows the highest temps we have over the next 18 days is 63 degrees and I fear that if I get him too warm and comfortable in the house it will be a shock going back out into to the cold. I may try a damp rag wipe down on a sunny afternoon and see if that helps a little because he is a mess.

I hope we can find at least a temporary solution that will work for now. I hope to have the new coop started in the spring and done by summer. it will be 3 or 4 times the size and I plan to have a variety of different types of roosting bars they can pick and choose from.

I am so excited to have joined this page everyone has been so welcoming and very helpful!!

 

[MrsKnoxChickens]

I would not treat my flock with antihelminthics unless worms were diagnosed in my flock, and then only if they were at a level which warranted treatment. It's perfectly normal for an animal to have a few internal parasites. It's only when the numbers warrant treatment that the animal should be treated. How old is your roo, and what breed? If he's less than a year old, he is actually a cockerel. Big difference between behavior of a cockerel and a mature roo!

Both of mine are Cockerels then, one is just about 5 months older than the other. The one in question with the issues is about 5 months old and a "coronation sussex" (I'm guessing not pure since he was only 10.00 but he does look like one) I have not noticed any signs of worms or anyone acting abnormal. This is also my first year having chickens so any minute changes forces me into a flurry of research. I'd rather not give them dewormer if I do not need to but without paying for fecal float tests how do I know is this something that is much like dogs that will become obvious to a watchful eye?

 

[lazy gardener]

A heavy load may present with visible round worms or tape worm segments in the feces. Otherwise, if they appear to have a decline in health, you might want to test them. I don't believe a fecal is very expensive. There are some mail order companies where you can send a sample.

 

[MrsKnoxChickens]

*Update* So I have cut out the rooster booster and that made a huge difference! much more normal poops. but still having an issue with Mr. Sheldon sleeping under everyone else. I tried for over a week of putting him on the bars every night with everyone else but every evening he is back in the corner under everyone. It is still to be determined if he is staying on the bar all night or not because they are up and moving around before me in the mornings since it's been so cold. But with the less messy waste his feathers are much less messy. Also adding the extra roosting br has helped spread the other birds out so no one stays directly above him in the corner all night. It's the little victories!

 

[Little Chicken Girl]

*Update* So I have cut out the rooster booster and that made a huge difference! much more normal poops. but still having an issue with Mr. Sheldon sleeping under everyone else. I tried for over a week of putting him on the bars every night with everyone else but every evening he is back in the corner under everyone. It is still to be determined if he is staying on the bar all night or not because they are up and moving around before me in the mornings since it's been so cold. But with the less messy waste his feathers are much less messy. Also adding the extra roosting br has helped spread the other birds out so no one stays directly above him in the corner all night. It's the little victories!

Thanks for the Updatete! That is good to hear.