Loose stools

[chickencrazy9]

Hi All,
I have 10 week old chicks and I noticed yesterday that one Araucana chick has, what I would call, diarrhea. It's pretty watery, but is a normal color. It has also sneezed a couple of times, never at the same time, over the course of a couple of days. It's energy seems good and none of the other chicks have this issue. Does anyone have any ideas what this might be? I did give them a little hard boiled egg on Sunday, not sure if that could be an issue. Do I need to add some sort of electrolytes to the water? If so, what kind?

Thank you, thank you, thank you. You guys are always so helpful!

 

[chickencrazy9]

Also, at what age can you begin feeding vegetable scraps?

Thanks!

 

[Grizlore]

Watery poop could likely be worms. Dewormer is cheap though.

 

[Grizlore]

Here is a good poop site:

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

 

[chickencrazy9]

Can I worm them at this age ( 8 days today)?

 

[Judy]

Young chicks will have many types of poops, including some watery and some a bit red, almost like blood, which is in fact intestinal lining. These are all within normal range. Also, if they are a little warm, they are likely to drink more, which in turn can cause some watery stools. I would watch their behavior and see if they seem alert, lively and playful, and I would not treat them with anything if so.

Worms come from the soil. Normally, chickens are not wormed before one year of age. If they have been in an indoor brooder, they have not been exposed to worms.

Many people do feed foods besides chick feed at an early age, but the younger they are, the more careful you should be about this. They don't eat a large volume of any food, so if they get a lot of, say, vegetable scraps, that will dilute their protein intake -- and they need protein to build their bodies. It is easy to upset their nutritional balance. Obviously, common sense is the big factor here. I certainly won't claim chick feed is always a perfect food -- but it is formulated to contain the known nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, protein, etc. that they need. If you do give other foods, be sure the size of the pieces is very small, that the quantities are liited (10% of their intake is one guideline used) and be sure they have some sand or chick grit availabe to grind it up with. Don't feed them the grit in the food, just make it available.

 

[chickencrazy9]

Thank you so much for all of the information. All chicks seem to be doing well!