help! black poop with pictures!

[flour child]

I got home today and noticed quite a few jet black chicken poop around the pen... I watched for awhile to see who was doing it and it was one of my girls.. as far as I could tell it was only her.. she seems physically fine, she has had a really bad twitch for a few months with her head, she always shakes it like she has a fly on her head, I have no idea if that could be part of the problem but she's the only one with a twitch, she's only 15 weeks old.. I'm so worried because I don't now whats wrong or how to fix it! please help! has anyone seen this before?

 

[Brookliner]

I was just starting a thread on this same subject. And would like to know if anyone has an answer. Not to hijack your thread but I will comment on what I have tried encase it is any help to you.
My hen is a 3 1/2 year old hen. 10 days ago I found her sitting by herself not interacting with the rest of the hens. I brought her into the house and put her into my infirmary crate. I looked her over and saw no visible mites or lice. She is in a partial molt. She has dark blackish/green poop with the usual white urinates it does have a yellowish cast as in the picture. much the same as yours. Not runny and very little of it. She perks up when I talk to her and lets me hold her without stressing out. I have considered the following:

• Cocci
• Botulism
• Gape worm (she shakes her head sideways and opens her beak)
• Pneumonia
• Something stuck in her throat
• Egg bound
• Sour crop

So far I have treated her over the last 10 days with:

• Epsom salt treatment (hard to get it down her as she is not drinking)
• Valbazan (for gape worm)
• Tylan 50 for 5 days in case of pneumonia (1/4 cc in alternating breast muscle)
• Nutradrench (vitamins in general)
• I have not treated her for cocci

I continue to dip her beak in water that has either ACV or "Save-a-chick" but she isn't getting much down.
Things she will eat:

• Water mellon (frozen)
• Strawberries
• Scrambled egg
• She sometimes pecks at her layer pellets which I have crushed to make it easier for her to eat.

Tonight I gave her a bath - she was covered with watermelon juice and dried her with a hair dryer.I was able to look her over very thoroughly:

• No mites or lice
• No palpable egg (egg bound)
• No bad breath (sour crop)
• Not dehydrated (pinch test)

What am I missing...what could be wrong with her? She is my favorite.

 

[flour child]

she is a beautiful chicken, I have also considered a few of those problems, my chickens poop looks more like tar though, no color like green or yellow

 

[FenikT]

Jet black waste can be a sign of a gastric or upper intestinal tract bleed. Such bleeding could be a host of things, but a chicken infected with small roundworms will exhibit dark stools and intestinal hemorrhaging and thickening (resulting in poor nutrition, secondary bacterial infections, and other outward signs of bad health).

IMO, I'd treat w/ a multi-spectrum dewormer followed by at least five days worth of an antiobiotic (Tylan or Terramycin) to assist with secondary infections and result die-off of parasites.

 

[pandora6102]

I live in the city and this is our 1st chicken. Where do I get the dewormer and the antibiotic?

 

[Wyandottes7]

Well, the dewormer that I use is the Worminator (http://www.twincitypoultrysupplies.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=584). It is broad-spectrum, killing everthing except tapeworms. I have not have any problems with worms, and I use it.

In response to FenikT's post above, I agree that a wormer is the best course of action. However, I'd give the chicken some time, like a week or so, between worming and giving an antibiotic. Deworming, and antibiotics can be very hard on a chicken's system.