Please can someone take a look at my chickens poop?

[shell3]

bogtown: forgot to say , no her vents normal, no prolapse. i keep checking her all over! shes getting a bit fed up with me to be honest! lol

 

[Haunted55]

I am glad to hear she is still gaining weight. That is really good news!

Worming won't hurt at this point and should give you some peace of mind at least on that issue. You may never know what caused this in your hen. As I said before, sometimes they just have weird things happen that you can never find an answer for. You know you should be able to, you look up and compare, you run yourself silly trying to find the answer, only to find there isn't one. Lol, been there, done that.... All I can say for sure is this, you are doing everything right. She is gaining and thriving. She even got a bit of a walk-a-bout yesterday, lol. In the end, you may find that this is caused by something peculiar to her just like her crop. Doesn't mean she can't function and live a nice long life, just means you'd have to watch and make sure she eats well and doesn't lose too much weight. I have a few 'special needs' birds and they run with the rest of them and have no clue they have a problem.

 

[shell3]

haunted 55 as always you make perfect sense to me. x
thank you for saying you think im doing everything right,its good to hear.
as you say youve been in my shoes and it does seem that no matter how many hours you spend looking for answers you just cant find them!lol maybe as you say,they just arnt there. im happy shes doing so well thou,she seems content and confused as to why i keep messing with her!lol today we have sun! yay and shes spent all day in the makeshift dustbath! i must get a proper one put together! shes upside down sunbathing at the moment while the other two stand by wondering when their turn will come!idont think itll be soon lol she holds her own when it comes to that drawer!lol
this weekend i will build the new one so they cann all get in.
i think the little rascals enjoyed their trot round the garden lol but my husband was horrified at my negligence!haha he didnt build a fortress just for me to be so lacking in security you know!! lol lucky for us mr fox was elsewhere! i think she actually feels heavier than the other two now,which was the norm before she got ill. shes back to sleeping between them and hogging the dust bath so she must be feeling pretty good
xxx

 

[shell3]

i just descovered something odd!
i know ive gone down this road before on the other thread when i found a random egg in the run and it turned out not to be her as far as i could tell but
i got 3 eggs today! and one is strange,its bigger than the others (bombies the only one who ever laid big uns) and its covered with white blotches of some sort of calcium build up as far as i can tell.
i could be wrong one of the others may have done two today but the look of the egg makes me wonder????? ill try to post a pic later. x

 

[shell3]

ok heres my mystery egg! with a normal one for comparrison lol see what i mean about the white blotches? not had one like this since bombie was laying. she used to do these giant eggs that didnt fit in any egg box! and she used to get this white 'stuff' sometimes too! i cant help but think that that prob wasnt a good thing either and maybe part of her 'defects' for want of a better word. still i would see it as encouraging if she started laying again. im probly hopeful its hers and prob wrong! lol but wanted to share, you never know!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I do believe that's an egg from your dear Bombie! She is so happy and a good romp in the garden is definitely cause to give back an egg! She's so happy Shell! She's got herself a drawer full of dust, sunshine, a carpenter that needs a tidge more experience and a beautiful garden! LOL. Just Kidding Steve.

I like your new plan with a break in the antibiotics. Get the worming piece handled....see where you are at and then if still blood--then you've had a nice piece of time in between the antibiotics to try treating for cocci. She's seems so happy and healthy though....not sure if cocci.

 

[casportpony]

I've seen that before, too, but it usually goes away. I found this blurb:

Abnormal Shell Texture

Rough Egg Shell or Abnormal Shell Texture can be a result of:

• Dietary:
  • excess calcium consumption by the hens
  • copper deficiency
• Excessive use of antibiotics
• Infectious diseases, such as Newcastle disease or infectious bronchitis
• Inheritance

It's from:
http://www.avianweb.com/eggproblems.html

Soft-shell or Misshapen Eggs

Breeding Challenges​

Common Egg Problems are:

• No Eggs or Clear / Infertile Eggs (Infertility / Poor Hatch Rate)
  
• Egg Binding (Unable to Pass an Egg)
  
• Thin-shelled, soft-shelled, no-shell, porous, misshaped / deformed eggs ... Infectious Diseases Associated with Egg Problems
  
• Abnormal Shell Texture ... Abnormal Egg Color
  
• Abnormal Egg Yolks / Egg White, Double-yolk Eggs

Also potentially of interest:

• Dead-in-Shell / Embryo Mortality ... Embryo Development (explains what happens inside the developing egg) ... Glossary ... Photo Series: From Egg to Parrot - Amazing series of photos of candled eggs - from Day 1 through Hatching

Thin-shelled, soft-shelled, no-shell, porous, misshaped / deformed eggs and other egg shell irregularities can occur due to a variety of factors.

Situations where a sudden drop in egg production occurs are most likely to be infectious. In the absence of obvious signs of disease (sudden change in egg laying / obvious disease symptoms, such as respiratory, loss of weight, etc.), potential environmental and dietary issues should be explored and, once identified, remedied.
The most common cause of soft / no-egg shell eggs is dietary or environmental ...
A loss of egg production or the possibility of egg abnormalities also increase with age.​

Environmental Issues:

• • Abnormal Heat / Humidity Levels:
    • Excessive heat - exposure to temperatures over 85-90°F (29 - 32° Centigrade)
    • Extreme low or high humidity levels
  • Parasites: skin parasites or internal worms
  • Toxins in the environment (i.e., mold / fungi, bacteria, etc.)
  • Stress: Minimize noise and disturbance around brooding hens, as this could prompt them to lay eggs early before they are fully formed.
  • Molting while egg-laying

Malnutrition / Nutritional Deficiencies

The eggshell is a protective layer for the embryo. 95% of the shell consists of calcium carbonate that builds up on the inner membrane.
Deficiencies involving vitamins E, B12, and D as well as calcium, phosphorus, selenium impact the formation of the egg shell; most commonly resulting in thin or soft shells or eggs without a shell (only the inner and outer membranes and the yolk).

Remedying Nutritionally Deficiencies: Supplementing the hen's diet with ground eggshells, ground limestone, limestone flour or oyster shells (offered separately, or sprinkled over or mixed in with the chicken's feed) - in combination with exposure to natural sunlight or supplementation with Vitamin D3 (NOT Vitamin D2) - are effective ways of boosting calcium levels, thereby effectively preventing or remedying eggshell abnormalities caused by calcium deficiency.

If applicable, decrease or discontinue treats that reduce the percentage of calcium that the chicken derives from its diet. (The higher the percentage of low-nutritional-value treats a bird gets directly impacts the quality of its overall nutrition.)
Grit is sometimes provided in the mistaken belief that it contains calcium - it does not and, therefore, has no effect on egg quality.
Note:

EXCESSIVE consumption of phosphorus or calcium is likely to result in eggs that with an abnormally thick shelled or have rough shells.
Inherited / metabolic conditions may inhibit the absorption of nutrients resulting in malnutrition in spite of adequate dietary provision.​

Vitamin D3 is required for calcium absorption and utilization; if a hen is deficient in Vitamin D, this can also impede the formation of the shell.
Risks Associated with Thin/Soft-shell Eggs: One of the big risks of soft-shelled eggs that they can easily burst on exit and become retained resulting in internal infections and often in death of the hens.​

Infectious Diseases

Infectious Bronchitis (IBV):

This common infectious disease only affects chickens of all ages and is caused by Coronavirus. It targets the respiratory tract, as well as the reproductive organs and the urinary system.
IBV is the most contagious poultry disease; once introduced into a flock, the infection rate is 100%. Therefore, if some hens are unaffected, this disease can be excluded.
Infectious Bronchitis is suspected if no other environmental reason can be identified, and the hens have previously produced well, and then all of a sudden started laying poor quality eggs.
This disease may affect both the external and internal quality of the eggs, which can be misshapen or soft-shelled. In those eggs that have a shell, the egg white inside the egg is runny.
Initially, respiratory symptoms are typically (but not always) noted and generally the egg production decreases and the egg quality deteriorates over time.
There is no effective treatment against this, although birds often recover, they may never be good egg layers and the eggs they do lay may never be of a good quality again.
The spread of this disease can only be stopped by quarantining infected birds and sanitizing / disinfecting the premises. A vaccination is available (Nobilis by Merck), but vaccination is not always effective in preventing the disease.
Rarely proves fatal; however, increases the hens' susceptibility to other pathogens, such as e-coli or mycoplasma infections.
Those that recovered from this disease will be immune to further exposure, but may never lay well again due to damage to the uterus/shell gland.​

To a lesser extent, the following infectious diseases are possibilities ...

Infectious laryngotracheiti (ILT)

This herpes virus causes respiratory symptoms in chickens. It is a reportable disease in several U.S. states. Infected chickens become life-long carriers and shed the virus during times of stress. Infected birds may show the following symptoms: wet irritated eyes, sneezing, nasal discharge, failure to thrive, stunted growth, and decreased egg production. As this disease progresses, birds may experience difficulty breathing, a bloody discharge from the nose and mouth can be noted. They may cough and expel bloody mucus. Birds typically shake their heads to clear the mucus from their noses and mouths, which results in blood stained mucus on the feathers. Symptoms may clear up; however, once infected, chickens become life-long carriers of ILT and can shed the virus during times of stress.
This virus is susceptible to sunlight and common disinfectants.​

Egg drop syndrome (EDS)

The natural host for this viral disease occurs is water fowl, such as ducks, geese, coots and grebes. Antibodies have also been recorded in herring gulls, owls, storks, swans, guinea fowl and pigeons. In the 1970s, the causative virus - duck adenovirus A - spread to chickens and quails, and is likely attributed to a contaminated Marek's disease vaccine.
This disease mostly occurs in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America; and has not been identified yet in the United States or Canada.
One of the main symptoms of this disease is that apparently healthy birds produce soft-shelled and shell-less eggs.
There is no treatment. This disease can best be prevented by separating chickens from other birds (particularly water fowl); quarantining infected birds and sanitizing the environment. A vaccine is available and typically given during the growing phase, when the birds are 14 - 18 weeks old.​

Ochratoxicosis

Caused by feeding grain (in many instances corn, but also wheat and barley) contaminated with ochratoxin produced by Aspergillus ochraceous or Penicillium viridicatum (fungi).
Symptoms include poor growth rate diarrhea, reduced pigmentation, soiled eggs, reduced egg production, poor egg shell quality, kidney disease, fertility, tremors, hypotension, slow heart rate (bradycardia), chronic respiratory disease, decreased feed consumption, and, if untreated / unresolved, death.
The clinical signs can be helpful, but definitive diagnosis is from feed analysis for the presence of toxin.
The solution would be to supply uncontaminated feed (without any mold) and ingredients; sanitizing the feed and ingredient handling tools and equipment; and potentially adding antifungal agents to the feed. Drought, insect damage to the grain, and long storage time of the feed is shown to increase susceptibility to fungal growth.​

Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)



Abnormal Shell Texture

Rough Egg Shell or Abnormal Shell Texture can be a result of:

• Dietary:
  • excess calcium consumption by the hens
  • copper deficiency
• Excessive use of antibiotics
• Infectious diseases, such as Newcastle disease or infectious bronchitis
• Inheritance

Abnormal Egg Shell Color:

Yellow Egg Shell: Indicative of high levels of certain antibiotics administered over extended periods
Depigmentation (loss of pigment) of the brown egg shell can be a sign of Infectious Bronchitis, Egg Drop Syndrome (scroll up for information) or high stress levels amongst the brooding hens.
Speckled Egg Shell or Spots inside the Egg

Speckled / mottled egg shells can be caused by a Manganese deficiency or high or low extremes in environmental humidity.​

Abnormal Yolks / Egg-white:

Mottled yolks can be caused by anticoccidial drugs (Nicarbazin), worming compounds (citrate, piperazine, phenothiazine or dibutylin dilaurate); calcium deficiency, cottonseed meal (Gossypol), Tannic acid, and increased storage time of the eggs.
White yolks: Can be caused by capillary worms or other unknown disease condition. Can also be affected by diet
Olive or Salmon-colored Yolks: Caused by a diet with a high percentage (5%+) of cottonseed meal containing gossypol or cyclopropene fatty acids.
Double-yolk eggs occur when ovulation occurs too rapidly or when one yolk becomes joined with another yolk. This is most commonly seen in young hens that have not reached reproductive maturity yet and have unsynchronized reproductive cycles.
Yolkless eggs (also known as "dwarf" or "wind" eggs): Most commonly occurs in young hens that lay eggs before their laying mechanism is fully matured. In mature hens, this could be indicative of pieces of reproductive tissue breaking away, stimulating the egg producing glands to treat these pieces of reproductive tissues like yolks, wrapping each in albumen, membranes and a shell as they travel through the egg tube.
Blood spots inside the egg can be genetic, as well as being caused by sudden environmental temperature changes. The incidence of blood spots inside the egg also increases with age. Rarely a deficiency in vitamin K or vitamin A Sulfaquinoxaline can be the cause.​

 

[Haunted55]

ok heres my mystery egg! with a normal one for comparrison lol see what i mean about the white blotches? not had one like this since bombie was laying. she used to do these giant eggs that didnt fit in any egg box! and she used to get this white 'stuff' sometimes too! i cant help but think that that prob wasnt a good thing either and maybe part of her 'defects' for want of a better word. still i would see it as encouraging if she started laying again. im probly hopeful its hers and prob wrong! lol but wanted to share, you never know!

When my Australorps first started laying last year I got a couple of these as well. It soon went away so I never thought much about it. I have to agree with Bogtown Chick, it probably is from Bombie and ya know what....this may stop the bleeding. Keep your eyes open now and see about catching her laying. It could be that as you say her eggs are large and could be stretching things out in there if she hasn't laid for a while. Just thinking here, don't know for sure. Another thing...save this info from Casportpony!!!!

 

[Haunted55]

Casportpony...fantastic info!!! I didn't know a lot of this stuff! You are writting for the BYC contest aren't you? Please think about it if you haven't already! Your information is always right there and very indepth and I really think any articles from you would be very helpful to newbies and old hands as well. No stroke here girl, just fact.


edited for spelling

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Oh Wouldn't that be interesting if the bleeding stopped now!?!

Shell you would have been dead on with that research then!

I love all this learning with chickens.