Occasional diarrhea

[IamRainey]

I have three 28-week old hens. They seem healthy and happy but every week or so I get a few splats of really liquid diarrhea on the poop board. No clue who's doing it or if they all take a turn at it.

Nothing much changes about their diet from day to day except for what they may find when they're foraging.

I'm assuming this is OK. But it seems worth asking if it's typical.

Thanks in advance.

 

[RodNTN]

Do they free range? It's probably just from something they're foraging on if they're acting all right

 

[IamRainey]

They free range within the chicken yard outside their run when I'm out there gardening. That is to say a few times a week.

Their yard is mostly nasturtiums which I add too their regular pellets when they can't free range. But who knows what they manage to dig up. I did put a few really big grubs from the compost heap in their run the other day.

 

[RodNTN]

What does their diarrhea look like? Is it green?

 

[IamRainey]

Yeah, I'd say it's a kind of dark olive.

 

[happyhens1972]

Yeah, I'd say it's a kind of dark olive.

Are you sure it's diarrhoea? It sounds like cecal poops to me......they do these several times a day and it's perfectly normal. It may just be that when they are free rangeing, you are not seeing them, only the ones that happen to be on the poop board....do they look like this photo? If so, nothing to worry about, just the way they work!

 

[PirateGirl]

Have you looked at the chicken poop chart online? There is a wide range of what "normal" looks like. It could just be a cecal, or sometimes if they have a lot of fruits and veggies one day it might be like that too (especially treats high in water content like watermelon).

 

[IamRainey]

...do they look like this photo? If so, nothing to worry about, just the way they work!View attachment 1262198

No. They're flat out splats on the poop board.

I'll try to take my phone out with me when I'm cleaning up in the morning and photograph the next one I see.

 

[IamRainey]

Have you looked at the chicken poop chart online?

That sounds like a good idea. Where would I find it?

 

[ChickNanny13]

Are they drinking alot of water? Fruits? Veggies?
I find my girls do "splatters" when they drink too much water, or eat watery veggies.