Is this normal?

[thewildbunch]

Thanks for all the input. It may be an diet issue as we (without knowing better) had them on a steady diet of scratch - and only scratch. We switched to layers pellets a couple of weeks ago. The suggestion to trim around their eyes makes a lot of sense and we will get on that today. As far as the goat wormer suggestion, is there any way to give that to the entire flock, or does it have to be administered one at a time? We have a large number of birds and that would be very labor intensive. (we'd still do it, but if there's a way to deliver it to the masses, that would be great!) Thanks again

 

[iwiw60]

Thanks for all the input. It may be an diet issue as we (without knowing better) had them on a steady diet of scratch - and only scratch. We switched to layers pellets a couple of weeks ago. The suggestion to trim around their eyes makes a lot of sense and we will get on that today. As far as the goat wormer suggestion, is there any way to give that to the entire flock, or does it have to be administered one at a time? We have a large number of birds and that would be very labor intensive. (we'd still do it, but if there's a way to deliver it to the masses, that would be great!) Thanks again

Pellet feed is rather large for little silkies to consume. I feed Purina Layena crumbles...my girls love it!

 

[TwoCrows]

You need to get them off the scratch and onto some real feed. There is no nutritional value in scratch. It is like eating candy all day long. As Iwiw has said, pellets may be too big for your birds so try to find some crumbles instead.

 

[drumstick diva]

Silkies can surprise you, they look all fat and fluffy. Then you pick them up and see they are all feathers and no fat. Were they laying well with just scratch?

 

[chooks4life]

You need to get them off the scratch and onto some real feed. There is no nutritional value in scratch. It is like eating candy all day long. As Iwiw has said, pellets may be too big for your birds so try to find some crumbles instead.

Wait, what? When you say 'scratch' what do you mean?

I see a lot of people use that vague term on this site and always think they mean some sort of 'coarse grain mix' since that's what it means over here, but perhaps it means something different in your country?

Best wishes.

 

[iwiw60]

Wait, what? When you say 'scratch' what do you mean?

I see a lot of people use that vague term on this site and always think they mean some sort of 'coarse grain mix' since that's what it means over here, but perhaps it means something different in your country?

Best wishes.

The OP to this thread stated:
Quote: Scratch here in the USA almost always means "cracked corn". And if that's what the OP has her birds on solely, she needs to use "scratch" only as a daily treat, not a steady diet.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

Yes, these are very normal poops called cecal.

 

[chooks4life]

Glad you joined us!

Those droppings look like "normal" cecal droppings to me, for my flock. However, since they aren't usual for your flock, then yes, I don't think they are "normal." I would try to strengthen your birds' digestive tracts by giving them some probiotics (or plain yogurt) and some chicken vitamins/electrolytes. I would also worm them again, with a broad-spectrum wormer. Wazine only kills roundworms. Better wormer choices are SafeGuard or Valbazen.

Also, I would definitely stop feeding them just scratch. If the pellets seem too large, then I would see if you can find some crumbles.

Good luck!

X2^, more helpful and succinct than my previous post about 'normal' vs otherwise. Apologies to all for my tone before, in retrospect it sounds pretty mealy-mouthed, lol... Didn't mean it that way.

To the OP: Cecal poops are definitely normal on some diets/for some flocks, and any poop that stinks like that and which is only normal for certain diets is not something I consider healthy offhand, but, my opinion there differs from others, obviously. In this case since they're not normal to your flock... What BantamLover21 said.

Also, hello and

Best wishes.

Scratch here in the USA almost always means "cracked corn". And if that's what the OP has her birds on solely, she needs to use "scratch" only as a daily treat, not a steady diet.

I see. I thought perhaps it meant a mix of grains. Guess not. Thanks for clearing that up.

Best wishes.

 

[thewildbunch]

Again - thanks for all the info. The scratch grain we had been feeding them is a 15 grain mix, although they seemed to pick and choose some of the grains over the others. They had been laying fairly well, considering they are silkies, but it began to slow down mid-summer. We started using crumbles but for some reason more of it ended up on the ground than in their bellies, so we thought we'd try the pellets. We found a brand that is smaller than most and so far it seems to be working out. Does anyone know anything about a pellet form wormer from "Rooster Booster?" It is supposed to be a wide spectrum wormer. It may be also that we are beginning to notice this "cecal" poop more due to two factors: 1. We have started using river sand in our coops and runs, and 2. our flock has been growing...more chickens = more cecal poop to see.

 

[HugHess]

Glad you joined us!

Those droppings look like "normal" cecal droppings to me, for my flock. However, since they aren't usual for your flock, then yes, I don't think they are "normal." I would try to strengthen your birds' digestive tracts by giving them some probiotics (or plain yogurt) and some chicken vitamins/electrolytes. I would also worm them again, with a broad-spectrum wormer. Wazine only kills roundworms. Better wormer choices are SafeGuard or Valbazen.

Also, I would definitely stop feeding them just scratch. If the pellets seem too large, then I would see if you can find some crumbles.

Good luck!

Hope this site may help you now and in the future, deciding what is 'normal' and what isn't...

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/02/whats-scoop-on-chicken-poop-digestive.html