Help, Strangest Poo I’ve Ever Seen in My Bantam Flock!

[Jillio]

Hello guys. We’ve been in the middle of a winter storm here this week. I went out to the bantam coop to find my 6 year old rooster Little Bleu (blue and white silkie) half dead. He was lethargic, hunched over, and wobbly when he walked, not to mention shivering. His crop was also empty in the middle of the day.

We had a flock of 7 bantams that we adored for the the last several years. I didn’t know at the time to buy good stock and they came with issues. They have had a popping sound coming from their tummies when they breathe their whole life long, as well as depluming mites. These have both been incurable despite visiting vets, getting antibiotics, prescriptions, and trying everything under the sun. They otherwise seem pretty happy and we’ve just let them live out their days.

One of our other bantam hens, Paisley (black Cochin) passed away 6 weeks ago. She had the weird white diarrhea too, yet hers was complicated with a crop issue. She was my healthiest bantam hen until this point.

Little Bleu passed away last night after having what I think was a stroke. He had weird pure white diarrhea for a few days before-hand. I was feeding him scrambled eggs, ground beef from our families ranch, and his regular feed with grit. I gave him extra protein so he could more easily fight. His body just wasn’t able to bounce back this time.

Now I’m noticing Penelope (our 1 bantam left, red frizzle) has the weirdest poops I’ve ever seen. She seems otherwise well besides the same popping sound coming from her tummy area when she breathes that the rest of my bantams had all these years. Any advice will be very much appreciate! I have no idea what to do at this point!

We have already had a fecal done for both Paisley and Bleu, and both came up negative with no transferable disease present.

 

[TropicalChickies]

So sorry about little Bleu. I'm not a vet, just a backyard chicken keeper. But I have a little three year old hen with persistent loose poop for about six months ago. It was white and watery and sort of stringy -- like it had mucous or something. She actually seems to be improving little by little over the past three months. Poop is still on the watery side, but it has solids and she eats well and is active throughout the day. I've tried everything to treat her (sulfa antibiotics, deworming etc) but what seems to have helped the most was acidified copper sulphate for five days followed by probiotics. Acidified copper sulphate has antimicrobial, antiparasitic and antifungal properties so it helps with those tiny bacterial or fungal spores that might not show up on a fecal. There's no egg withdrawal period because it's basically a concentrated form of copper and is non toxic at very low doses. It works by acidifying the chicks' Ph (diseases thrive in an overly alkaline environment). You can also use a stronger solution to clean their bowls, feeders, etc. Just be sure to follow the dosage -- only a tiny bit is needed! 1/4 of a teaspoon to a gallon of water. And only use it for no longer than five days. Best wishes.

 

[Jillio]

So sorry about little Bleu. I'm not a vet, just a backyard chicken keeper. But I have a little three year old hen with persistent loose poop for about six months ago. It was white and watery and sort of stringy -- like it had mucous or something. She actually seems to be improving little by little over the past three months. Poop is still on the watery side, but it has solids and she eats well and is active throughout the day. I've tried everything to treat her (sulfa antibiotics, deworming etc) but what seems to have helped the most was acidified copper sulphate for five days followed by probiotics. Acidified copper sulphate has antimicrobial, antiparasitic and antifungal properties so it helps with those tiny bacterial or fungal spores that might not show up on a fecal. There's no egg withdrawal period because it's basically a concentrated form of copper and is non toxic at very low doses. It works by acidifying the chicks' Ph (diseases thrive in an overly alkaline environment). You can also use a stronger solution to clean their bowls, feeders, etc. Just be sure to follow the dosage -- only a tiny bit is needed! Half a teaspoon to a gallon of water. And only use it for no longer than five days. Best wishes.

Wow I really appreciate that info. I have given Colloidal Silver and at other times ACV (the good kind) for similar purposes. You think the copper sulphate does something more of different than these other two remedies? Thanks!

 

[TropicalChickies]

Wow I really appreciate that info. I have given Colloidal Silver and at other times ACV (the good kind) for similar purposes. You think the copper sulphate does something more of different than these other two remedies? Thanks!

Acidified copper sulphate works on the same principle as ACV by acidifying the system, but it's much stronger in effects and also actually kills fungal and bacterial spores. That's why following with probiotic is important.

 

[Jillio]

Acidified copper sulphate works on the same principle as ACV by acidifying the system, but it's much stronger in effects and also actually kills fungal and bacterial spores. That's why following with probiotic is important.

Wow. Awesome. I’ll look into that and will prob go ahead and get some. I appreciate this much!

 

[TropicalChickies]

Wow. Awesome. I’ll look into that and will prob go ahead and get some. I appreciate this much!

I just edited my post after checking the dosage. It's only 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of water, not 1/2. It's also a generally good item to have on hand for sour crop emergencies. I hope it helps!

 

[Jillio]

I just edited my post after checking the dosage. It's only 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of water, not 1/2. It's also a generally good item to have on hand for sour crop emergencies. I hope it helps!

Appreciate the dosing info as that can be the hardest part of treating a chicken

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. It is always best to know what the problem is before throwing a lot of treatments at chickens. Acidified copper sulfate is sometimes use to treat canker when antibiotic metronidazole is not available, and for sour crop in some cases. It is not something I would use when I had an unknown disease because it can be overdosed or misused. The is cooper sulfate and acidified copper sulfate. Only the latter should ever be used.

The first dropping has some normal cecal poop and regular poop, but a lot of mucus and urates. Has either one had diarrhea?

I’m sorry that you lost your little rooster. Did you vet check for coccidiosis and worms, and rule those out? A lot of white urates can indicate dehydration in a sick bird. Green poop indicates not eating enough. The best way to find out if there is a disease or something contagious is to have your state vet do a necropsy by taking in or sending the bird in on a weekday. The body should be cold but not frozen. Here is a list of most state vets to contact:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

 

[Jillio]

Hi! Thanks a bunch for your reply. I have sent birds in before for necropsies, but here where we live, it is very expensive. Our vet did say they were no worms before when the fecal was examined. Also, we have dealt with coccidiosis in our flock two or three times many years ago, and it always included bloody stools. Could it be coccidiosis without bloody stools?

 

[Eggcessive]

Coccidiosis may only cause blood in 2 out of 8 or mores strains of coccidiosis. The vet should have looked for coccidia oocysts as well. You can try treating with Corid without worry, but they need to drink normally enough of the water. Dosage is 2 tsp of the liquid Corid or 1.5 tsp of the powder per gallon of water for 5-7 days. A sulfa antibiotic such as sulfadimethoxine or SMZ-TMP will also treat coccidiosis, and a few other diseases. What state are you in?