Poop mystery..

[Ilovecats1962]

Hey all,
Chicken poop, for the last 3 years has been a bit of an obsession. We lost 2 of our 3 ex-bats to peritinitus and tumour growths due to the overuse of their reproductive systems..(never will I eat mass produced eggs ever again!).
Anyway, I quickly learnt that a good guide to a chooks general well being is the state of its doo doo.
So, to cut to the chase, one of our pullets, Mabel, who is a little skittish and not the brightest of her small flock (of 3), has been producing some unusual poops. Under the roost bars all looks very normal, text book droppings, but once out to freerange they become watery, milky and with what looks like egg streaks in them. She lays regular every day and looks very happy scratching and foraging with the other two. I've searched high and low for a similar post to see what the cause may be but I cant find anything like it.
Take a look at the images and maybe you'll recognize or know more than I do.

 

[azygous]

Do you also see a chalky white scum buildup on her butt feathers below her vent? Or are the feathers clean?

Yes, poop can tell a lot about a chicken's overall health, but behavior is the key indicator in my experience. An active chicken that has a normal appetite is usually in general good health. Poop can change daily according to what the chicken eats and how much they drink.

 

[Sara Ranch]

I am not an expert, but it appears that there are worms in the first picture of poop.

Roundworm. All birds should be treated for worms, if that is the case.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi there, welcome to BYC!

White is normal in droppings. And since urates pass in the droppings as well... they can be more watery at times... and especially so when it's hot and they have drank a lot.

Since you aren't seeing any lethargy or other concerning behaviors, in addition to stating that roost droppings appear fine... I would tend to think that you are paying great attention and don't find any cause for serious alarm.

It's not a bad idea to have a group fecal sample floated by the vet and do a parasitic load count to see IF you need to treat for anything and if so with what med. Or since you're obsessed... get yourself a microscope and learn how to run floats yourself! I have found lots of sites with instructions on exactly that, and even bought the microscope. But I haven't tried looking at fecal samples YET.

 

[so lucky]

Do you also see a chalky white scum buildup on her butt feathers below her vent? Or are the feathers clean?

Yes, poop can tell a lot about a chicken's overall health, but behavior is the key indicator in my experience. An active chicken that has a normal appetite is usually in general good health. Poop can change daily according to what the chicken eats and how much they drink.

What would the chalky white scum buildup on butt feathers indicate?

 

[azygous]

What would the chalky white scum buildup on butt feathers indicate?

A possible yeast infection in the intestines.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

What would the chalky white scum buildup on butt feathers indicate?

Also known as vent gleet.

 

[Ilovecats1962]

Hya all..
Thank you for your responses .
First some pics of the ladies!

 

[Ilovecats1962]

Do you also see a chalky white scum buildup on her butt feathers below her vent? Or are the feathers clean?

Yes, poop can tell a lot about a chicken's overall health, but behavior is the key indicator in my experience. An active chicken that has a normal appetite is usually in general good health. Poop can change daily according to what the chicken eats and how much they drink.

Hey azygous..
Thanks for your reply.. her vent and butt feathers are pretty clean, but still popping pale milky with solids. All hens were worked 2 weeks ago as matter of course, plus some roundworm evident. Just seems to be Mabel with this problem. Acv in their water and worm treatment layer pellets on the go. We worked with herbal verm-x but I think we need to use flubinvet or the like to be sure.

 

[azygous]

One worming treatment must be followed up by another in order to address any eggs that may have hatched since the first treatment.

When I've had a hen such as this one with suspect poop, I gather a sample and take it to my vet for a fecal float test to see if any parasites are present. That includes coccidia. It really is a very simple, most often inexpensive, quick test to help narrow down possibilities.