Strange droppings should I be concerned?

[LydiaT]

If you are feeding a whole grain type feed, then they can pick and choose. If you switch to a crumble or pellet type feed, that will stop the picking and choosing of only their favorite bits. For some birds, being able to pick and choose can cause nutritional deficiencies, or abdominal fat, particularly when they choose the fattiest parts, ie; corn which is mostly carbs.

Good point, the only problem I have there is that they hate pellets and refuse to eat them which is why I switched to the whole grain feed. I might try out crumble type feed

 

[Aunt Angus]

well if they tests are not too pricey I might look into it. Also, what is PDZ? (Nice rhyming by the way haha)

PDZ is stall refresher. I use it on my poop board, and it can stick to the poop. But it definitely can't be squished with a stick. You probably have a case of worms again. Sad face.

 

[Morrigan]

I do know which chicken who has those droppings (her name is Marge) and also, if they are tapeworms, can they be transmitted to humans?

No they cannot be transmitted to humans. They are poultry specific.

It is Spring in your part of the world, right? That is generally when tapeworm populations peak in free-range chickens. Chicken acquire tapeworms from eating insects (which are numerous in the spring and summer) which carry immature tapeworms. The tapeworms then reach their adult stage inside the chicken, where they then grow and shed the "segments" you see in the poop. Insects eat the segments, chickens eat the insects, and the cycle continues. This makes treatment this time of year really tough, because although you can kill the adult tapeworms living in your chicken, the chickens will continuously re-infect themselves by eating new insects. It takes about 2 or 3 weeks for an adult tapeworm to grow after your chicken eats an insect.

OK, so what to do. First, make sure Marge really has tapeworms. Although some tapeworms are microscopic, in the most common types, the segments are visible to the naked eye. Most segments are shed in the middle of the day, so if you have a way to temporarily confine her, you can check her droppings over the course of day. Tapes shed segments every day, so if she has them, you all see them.

If she has them, the praziquantel will kill them, and @dawg53 is an expert when it comes to treating them. Be forewarned, they will probably come back in a month after the treatment has ended unless you can figure out a way to control the insect population or keep your chickens away from the insects. Them most common carriers are beetles and ants.

Sometimes tapeworms go away on their own, as the seasons change and chickens build resistance. That was my experience at least and I wrote about it here https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/the-case-of-the-disappearing-tapeworms.1337076/. The wait and see approach may not be right for you, however. A lot depends on how healthy your chickens look and your own personal risk tolerance.

Ugh, I really hope it's not tapeworms!

 

[dawg53]

Okay well I know that they are not solid because I prodded the feces with a stick. I have seen things moving in the droppings a while back which is why I treated the chooks with levamisole before. I do know which chicken who has those droppings (her name is Marge) and also, if they are tapeworms, can they be transmitted to humans?

Time to dose Marge with Praziquantel. Check this site in Australia:
https://www.planetpoultry.com.au/medications/65-worm-out-tablets-vetafarm-50tabs.html

 

[LydiaT]

Thanks everyone for your help, I have dosed Marge with praziquantel so hopefully she will get better soon. I have bought them scratch mix with molasses but they still leave grains. I was going to get them laying mash so they couldn’t pick and choose but I don’t want to give them something that will stimulate them to lay more often

 

[coach723]

Layer feed will not stimulate them to lay, it's daylight hours that do that. The major difference in layer feed vs other feeds is that layer contains more calcium for egg shell quality. Scratch mix is like junk food for them and really not healthy except as an occasional treat. An all flock or flock raiser type feed with calcium (oyster shell) provided separately is perfectly adequate for everyday. They need the vitamins, minerals, and micro nutrients in the balanced feeds for optimal health. Feeding too much scratch grains can lead to deficiencies and to fat birds, and fat birds are more susceptible to many diseases.

 

[Aunt Angus]

 

[LydiaT]

Oh I see, thank you So much for letting me know, I will get some pellets or layer mash when I go to town. I just got confused because the person in the store said it would cause them to lay more eggs