Purple-red chicken poop.

[AviansLove]

Hey, I have a question. My 4 month old chicks, I think all of them, pooped a purple-ish red poop, some were runny and some were formed.. noticed berry like seeds in some? Those little dots on berries... I just don't think there are berries in my woods right now... might be some in the bushes where they hang out but.. they don't seem to act weird and besides the poop I see no sign of coccidiosis in them. I did free range them the day before they started having that poop, I suspect berries that I don't know are growing but it is also fall so I am having a little doubt. My 2 older hens aren't pooping like that either though and they are free range, my silkies and reds are not pooping like that either, they are not free range chickens. If you need pictures I will gladly get some when I get home.

 

[coach723]

Pictures would help. Sometimes it's easier to distinguish color by smearing some on a white paper towel also, can help sometimes to tell if it's blood or something else. When on dirt or a darker background color is sometimes hard to tell. Berries are often mistaken for blood, but blood is serious, so best to make sure. I'd look around where they've been to see if you do find anything they might have eaten.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You can always take a poop sample to a vet and get a check for Cocci, but I would not if they are acting OK. It sure sounds like something they ate. Their age argues that it should not be Cocci either if they have been roaming for over three weeks. If you have Cocci in your soil or flock they should have developed immunity to that strain before now. And it would be strange for all of them to have issues at exactly the same time.

Chicks that age tend to form a sub-flock so it's not surprising they found something to eat that the others didn't find. A lot of berries, especially on trees or bushes, ripen this time of the year. I've had poop turn red when I fed mine cooked beet skins when I was canning beets. Red cabbage can turn poop sort of fluorescent blue. Definitely watch them but as long as they are acting OK I would not worry.

 

[ValerieJ]

I normally don't have any berries this time of year, but this year I have a bunch of raspberries growing. It's like a second crop out there. So odd to have them in September. A nice sort of odd.

 

[AviansLove]

Pictures would help. Sometimes it's easier to distinguish color by smearing some on a white paper towel also, can help sometimes to tell if it's blood or something else. When on dirt or a darker background color is sometimes hard to tell. Berries are often mistaken for blood, but blood is serious, so best to make sure. I'd look around where they've been to see if you do find anything they might have eaten.

I have looked around.. not everywhere because some places only the chickens can get in like the bushes with picker thorns in them! Nasty little bushes.... I will look deeper in the woods and see if there are berries in the bushes. I checked every coop and even digged a bit in there straw (with gloves) to see if the hens or silkies/reds have been pooping like that. Seems to only be them. I will check there poop today, get pictures and let them out tomorrow if there is a difference in there poop to see if they poop that color again after free ranging.

 

[AviansLove]

You can always take a poop sample to a vet and get a check for Cocci, but I would not if they are acting OK. It sure sounds like something they ate. Their age argues that it should not be Cocci either if they have been roaming for over three weeks. If you have Cocci in your soil or flock they should have developed immunity to that strain before now. And it would be strange for all of them to have issues at exactly the same time.

Chicks that age tend to form a sub-flock so it's not surprising they found something to eat that the others didn't find. A lot of berries, especially on trees or bushes, ripen this time of the year. I've had poop turn red when I fed mine cooked beet skins when I was canning beets. Red cabbage can turn poop sort of fluorescent blue. Definitely watch them but as long as they are acting OK I would not worry.

Glad to here it could be berries... They always go in the bushes or under the trees. My hens really don't hang out with them much mostly just hang out in the field.