Weird Find in Fecal Float

[Mylied]

I did a fecal float on a chicken and found weird square looking clumps. They do not look like salt crystals as they are very tiny. Anyone recognize what it might be? I've done a lot of floats and haven't seen it before. Thanks.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Sand?

 

[staceyj]

Here are some good references.

http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/projects/parasit06/website/artifact.htm

http://www.pet-informed-veterinary-advice-online.com/fecal-float.html

 

[Mylied]

My teacher (a vet who teaches micro and parasitology) just said it was something in her feed, nothing to worry about.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Do you feed your hens' eggshells back to them? If so then it may be the tiny particles of eggshell.

 

[Mylied]

They are new to me chickens. One had some blood so I was checking it out.

 

[MontanaChickDoc]

It's a little blurry but they might be bacteria - there are some that form X-shaped tetrads specifically, like Sarcinae. It's hard to judge the scale of how big these are. What magnification are you on in the photo?