Something gross beside the poo

[Pollo Posada]

Ok - this was gross. And, frankly, I should have taken a picture but it was so gross and I needed to whip it over the fence.

Now I am wondering what it might have been... there was a long (maybe like 6-7 inches), light yellowish tube thing lying beside the chicken poo.

Honestly it looked like a big, fat japanese noodle only it was yellow.

Any clue what it was. It didn't look like yolk. Just an FYI, more like a little intestine. GROSS!!!

 

[HorseFeathers]

Uh oh, sounds like worms. Have your birds been treated for worms? (I am not extremely experienced in this area but possible tapeworm or ringworm)

 

[Schultz]

Could it have been a tapeworm?

 

[spook]

could it have been a slug?
Also, poo has many colors- its what they eat.

 

[Pollo Posada]

OH NO! I didn't even think of that! I should have examined it more!!! I don't know if they were treated for worms or not. I bought them off of a local farmer!

Help - advice - what do I do??? I only saw one and I have examined all other poo piles.

 

[HorseFeathers]

It is possible, of course, it is nothing to be worried about and as spook said something harmless like a slug. But be careful and keep watching the poops. If there is one particular bird with the wormy poops, quarantine him or her immediately. And (pardon me if this is incorrect, as I said this is not my area of expertise) aren't you not supposed to eat eggs from a worm-infested flock, because you run the risk of getting them?

 

[Pollo Posada]

My husband and I are discussing it a bit more (I showed it to him when I found it) and truly it didn't even strike me as an animal of any sort. To us, it looked like a body part. He thought it was like some sort of unformed yolk. I wasn't sure. We didn't see any head or anything. It definitely wasn't a slug. I do know what tape worms are and it wasn't a tape worm. Not sure about another type. Well, thanks for all of the input. I will be keeping my eyes open!!!

 

[Schultz]

Also, if you worm them with a worming medicine, do not eat the eggs if they are laying. I think you have to wait a few weeks. Not my area of expertise either.

 

[HorseFeathers]

It's entirely possible it was a "fart egg" (or "wind egg"), which is when it is basically a blooper egg. It is often small and without a shell, and our hens seem to not notice laying them and we often find them on the roost. Perhaps it doesn't feel like an egg to them.

 

[Pollo Posada]

I have no idea which chicken produced that "thing". However, today, I seem to have a sick chicken.

Here are the details: I opened up my coop today at 7:00 a.m. Sometime thereafter one of my hens must have flown over the fence because I found her outside the fence around 8:30 a.m.

The issue is that it was raining pretty hard and was chilly (around 45 degrees) She was at the fence trying to get in instead of finding shelter.

Later on this afternoon I found her alone instead of roaming (I free range during the day) with the others. She seems lethargic. She is closing her eyes and pretty much is falling asleep standing up. I just picked her up and put her in an empty crate with straw. This sickness came out of nowhere!

Could she be tired from being in the rain? Sick? I never had a sick bird before... she seemed fine yesterday!

HELP!