Please help this newbie, I'm scared & confused. Is it bloody poop or not?

[NewChickHere]

Hi chicken friends. I am a newbie and have an 8 week old flock of 30 and 3 little 5 week olds that I love. My first time ever with chickens and never would've thought I could love chickens so much. lol. My 30 have been raised on medicated chick food up until about 5 or 6 weeks of age and I'm not sure if that matters or not, but I'm just saying in case it does. ha.

Well, when I look at the poop boards there MIGHT be some pinkish red in a few of the poops.

I found the link to a poop page on here http://chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0 and it is VERY informative. lol. I definitely see some of the poops from my chicks that look like some intestinal lining or something like they say and that it's normal. However, I have not seen the big blob of bright red blood either like it shows for being the abnormal poop with blood either. I HAVE seen a slight streak of red, very small, but I'm just not sure.

And I have read that cocidiossis or whatever it's called, kills them fast and that freaks me out so bad.

but I think I've been seeing these poops like this for about a week now and none of them acts weird or sick. I do have some Sulmet just because I read it was good to have on hand several weeks ago but I've never used it. BUT I have read its REALLY strong stuff and not really that good to use, especially on healthy birds. But there is NO WAY I can know whose the guilty party.

Can anyone please help this newbie? I'm so in love with this whole flock and can't imagine losing one but I'm really confused. And also, how do I give them the Sulmet if I do?? Aahhhh! Thanks for any help, and hopefully someone will see this soon.

Signed,
Confused & Scared
(Kim)

 

[nickie]

First, take a deep breath.

Now, is anyone huddled, fluffed up, or listless? Is what you see bright red blood or what could almost look like chocolate pudding brownish?

Try to pick everyone up and give them a quicky physical to see if anyone is overly thin or just not right. Chances are everyone is ok, but a pic of what you saw would be helpful.

 

[NewChickHere]

Thank you. Sorry for being panicky. I have a special needs son that is very attached to them also and to lose any, especially some really special ones is just not a thought I want to think right now.

Most I have seen has been more runny brownish red pudding. Nasty pudding at that. ha.

But I have seen some streaks that were bright red, like a thread, no blobs. I also wondered if one of them has a cut or something because the brighter red I saw was about a week ago but need to go check again. Maybe I can get a pic too.

I held almost all of them this morning at feeding time and they are not listless or at a loss of appetite at all. None look or felt skinny. My Anconas have always all felt a bit smaller but I guess that is normal for them.

I will check the poops again here in a bit and post back. Thank you so much.

 

[nickie]

The chocolatey pudding looking stuff is normal, but under the right lighting it can stop your breath because it does look like blood a bit. At times chickens shed some of the lining of their intestines and I do believe that may have a bit of streaky blood in it. I am not an expert, so please don't take what I say as fact,but if everyone is looking and acting normal I wouldn't worry too much. Please do keep an eye out for anything amiss though.

 

[weimlikeschicks]

I too was scared the first time I saw any out of the ordinary poops, but when a chick did actually get sick (pasty butt) it was pretty obvious. I've been advised (just as you were I think) that Sulmet is strong stuff and not to be used lightly. I believe there are other, gentler, antibiotics that are ok to give as a preventative measure (if you're into that sort of thing, I am not). It is my opinion that building up beneficial bacteria and a natural resistance in their gut is allot better than a sterile chicken environment. And a little more realistic.

 

[NewChickHere]

Thank you for all the support. I just got in and pulled the poop boards out in the bright sunlight and I'm thinking maybe everything is ok. I handled most all of the 30 chicks (chicks almost is not the right term here for these gals but my son still calls them chicks and says they are NOT chickens yet lol). Anyway, I did observe everyone and they all look good, ran for some mealworms and I followed some around that I saw poop. lol. Still, the pics are kind of scary, and most definitely gross. I do a little freelance photography here and there and have to say this was the yuckiest assignment ever. ha. I did not break out my nice big SLR for this however, just my cell phone.

Anyway, what do you think? I'm feeling a little less freaked out which is good.

Worn out maybe but better.

Here's my pics.





This one is a bit more interesting I think.



Also, out of 30 chicks pooping on a board, there are a few runny ones. They almost seem like the whites of raw eggs but just a little.
I don't want that to sound extreme. Ok, anymore thoughts for me? Thank you so much. Kim

 

[NewChickHere]

weimlikeschicks, I actually am doing some garlic in their food and Apple Cider Vinegar in their water so I too would prefer to go more natural if I can.
But I will do what I have to if they do get sick. I'm doing my best to be preventative though.

 

[nickie]

In my opinion, I don't see anything that I would worry about. The poop chart is a handy reference guide, but it is not the be all end all of chicken poo. Ice seen some crazy craps in the past that weren't on the chart, but I also keep in mind who they may have come from and what they were fed recently. I have a girl that doesn't visit the feed bin often, she prefers to hunt and gather her own. When she spends a good evening after a rain out in the yard what comes out of her can be frightening. Keep un kind what you saw and check for it while being aware of how everyone appearance to be doing. Some people may suggest wormings them as a caution, but that is your discretion.

 

[NewChickHere]

Thank you! I'm feeling much better but will still not ever let my guard down. I fed them some strawberries so I wondered about that too when you mentioned different foods etc. Thanks again.

 

[LeezyBeezy]

I would bet it's the strawberries. Wait until you feed them blueberries!....