Trouble with Pudding Poop

[SourRoses]

How frequent is it?

It does sound very frequent...

-About 1/5 poops seem normal for most of the birds, though a pudding poo can come right before or after a normal poop (when it happens)

About 4/5 poops (for all birds) look like pics 2 and 4. More than I'd expect for cecal.

 

[BagBegBog]

Thanks SourRoses, that's right.

It's about 4 in 5 poops that are of the pudding texture. It seems to be a lot more frequent than what seems to be described for cecal (1 in every 8 or 10). We're getting that in reverse which is why we were hesitant to dismiss it.

We've got them off the Corid, and we're keeping an eye on them. I'm going to pick up some grit tomorrow just to experiment. They seem otherwise to be healthy and happy. Drinking and eating normally.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Let us know what you find out.

The poops look pretty normal. You vet ran a fecal for Coccidiosis right? Did they run one for worms?

 

[BagBegBog]

Let us know what you find out.

The poops look pretty normal. You vet ran a fecal for Coccidiosis right? Did they run one for worms?

Will do. Recently, the poop has seemed closer to 50/50. I'm crossing my fingers that it's sorting itself out.

The vet checked for both, but he didn't send it off and checked it under a microscope. He found a small amount Coccidiosis. He said it was so small he didn't think they should be having issues, but recommended Corid to be safe. He also mentioned that it could be a problem with yeast, but that he didn't think it was very likely.

 

[BagBegBog]

Everything seems to be settling down finally! For the most part, the poop has returned to normal. I did notice a bit of what may have been blood in one of the poops. It seemed to be a one-off and might have been something that they ate. I'm only noticing the occasional gooey poo and the overnight poo all looks perfect. It's been about a week now, and I've only seen improvement since stopping the Corid.


Thank you @Wyorp Rock and @SourRoses for your time, thoughts and help!

 

[BagBegBog]

I think I figured out what the problem is/was.

Almost all the poop overnight is solid, and in the chicken run it seems pretty right for the 1-2 out of 10 ratio. However, I've noticed that when the chickens come out to graze and get treats, one or two of them will almost immediately release some of the sticky pudding poo. While they are out and free-ranging and grazing, the ratio seems flipped to where to pudding poo is much more common. This seems to be the case with all the chickens, and it seems to happen before they eat anything outside the run, so I don't think it's anything to do with eating too much grass or a problem with the treats.

I think this is what I've been seeing all along, as I'm much more likely to notice their poop while they're grazing, and I'm supervising them, vs when they're in the run they're on their own. I'm thinking/guessing it's excitement. Is that a thing? I've seen it happen in cats and dogs, but chickens are still pretty new to me. They love to be let out of their run and will fly from the back of the run to the gate whenever we step out the door. Any thoughts or experience with this?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I don't see a lot of Cecal poop in the dropping collection under my roosts either, so I would assume they do not produce much, if at all cecal poop during roosting.

I do see Cecal poop first thing in the morning - when they come off the roost.
You may just be noticing it more when they are out and about just because you are with them and making observations.

"Cecal Poop" comes from the Ceca, you may want to research it's role in the digestive process.