Hi all,
I'm new to chickens. I have had my first flock since they were day old chicks. I have six hens (2 rhode island reds, 2 barred rock, and 2 easter eggers) and one rooster (rhode island red). They are all around 5 1/2 months old. Four of my six hens have begun laying and have been laying for around two or three weeks without any issues. Four of my six hens (the ones who are laying) have been getting poo on their bottoms. So far it's just been a little bit. But today, one hen had enough that I had to wash her bottom (I used blue dawn and warm water). She had several good sized chunks. I've also noticed very watery poos on the ground. Though, after seeing pictures of chicken poo (I found the link, on this site, to tons of pics of normal and abnormal poo), I don't really think they have diarrhea. Other than this, they are eating normally, drinking normally, and acting normally. They haven't lost any weight either. Am I overreacting? I bought a bottom of wormer but I'm not going to use it unless I actually see any worms in the poo, which I haven't. I did, however, add a teaspoon of vinegar and some probiotic powder to their water. This afternoon, I gave them a snack of their pellets mixed with yogurt. By the way, my chickens are free range and have never been wormed. I appreciate your insight!
I'm new to chickens. I have had my first flock since they were day old chicks. I have six hens (2 rhode island reds, 2 barred rock, and 2 easter eggers) and one rooster (rhode island red). They are all around 5 1/2 months old. Four of my six hens have begun laying and have been laying for around two or three weeks without any issues. Four of my six hens (the ones who are laying) have been getting poo on their bottoms. So far it's just been a little bit. But today, one hen had enough that I had to wash her bottom (I used blue dawn and warm water). She had several good sized chunks. I've also noticed very watery poos on the ground. Though, after seeing pictures of chicken poo (I found the link, on this site, to tons of pics of normal and abnormal poo), I don't really think they have diarrhea. Other than this, they are eating normally, drinking normally, and acting normally. They haven't lost any weight either. Am I overreacting? I bought a bottom of wormer but I'm not going to use it unless I actually see any worms in the poo, which I haven't. I did, however, add a teaspoon of vinegar and some probiotic powder to their water. This afternoon, I gave them a snack of their pellets mixed with yogurt. By the way, my chickens are free range and have never been wormed. I appreciate your insight!
