Yellow, foamy poop. Help!

[ChasingChooks]

Hello everyone,

The past couple weeks, I've noticed some small, yellow, foamy poops.
I mostly see them when I let my chickens outside.
There haven't been any on their poop boards, so it's not happening overnight.
Their diet is layer crumbles and water. Sometimes, I add ACV.
On sunny days, they run around outdoors.
No other symptoms, except I did hear a couple sneezes today. No one looks sick or is acting off.
I wasn't too concerned, but I saw this today. Blood in poop? These are two different ones in the pics.
Hope someone can help!

@Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock @azygous @SandyRiverChick @LaFleche

 

[LaFleche]

How old are your birds?

When did you last deworm them?

In the second picture I can see some intestinal lining which is not unusual to be shedded when internal parasites reside.

 

[ChasingChooks]

Hello! Thanks for responding!

My birds are mostly 1 1/2 years old, with one 4 year old. Eight birds total.

I have never dewormed. They have never had worms, to my knowledge.

It didn't really look like blood, so I hope it's just some intestinal lining. I've seen similar, especially in the meat birds.

 

[LaFleche]

I have never dewormed. They have never had worms, to my knowledge.

You might be surprised what will come out of your chickens if you dewormed them thoroughly.

 

[Eggcessive]

It can be normal to see orangey intestinal shed. I agree, I would worm them with Valbazen 1/2 ml given orally, and then repeat it in 10 days. Or you may use SafeGuard 1.25 ml orally once and in 10 days for only roundworms , or use it for 5 consecutive days to get gapeworms and capillary worms as well. Or you could take in some fresh droppings in a ziploc bag for a fecal float.

 

[ChasingChooks]

Do you think the yellow foamy poop is from worms?
Thanks for the info!
So I should expect weird things to come out after worming them?
Anything else I should know about worming, as a newbie?

 

[Eggcessive]

That is just the thing. We can give you suggestions about what we would do, but we don’t know if that is the reason or not. You could check for worms or coccidiosis with a vet by checking some fresh poops. Otherwise, it is just a guess. Many things can cause yellow or foamy poop. Infections in the intestines or reproductive tract, worms, reproductive disorders or crop problems. Cecal poops are from the ceca between the small and large intestines where food is fermented. Chickens pass cecal poops a few times a day, and if they drink more water in warm weather, they may have runny droppings. Those are sticky, can be different colors, and smell bad. Most chickens can have worm eggs in their poop, and those are microscopic. It depends if they have a large load or not.

 

[ChasingChooks]

Hmm... okay. What about fecal floats - would this confirm anything? Do they cost anything? Where do you get them done?

Thanks for all your help! I appreciate it. I suppose, for now, I just leave them be...

 

[Eggcessive]

If you have a dog, your vet probably has done a fecal float every year to rule out worm eggs in their poop. They can vary in price. Call your vet. Mine is high, and charges about $40. Many times it is easier to just go ahead and buy the worm medication, and worm them.

 

[azygous]

The intestinal shed along with foamy poop can indicate worms. Worms irritate the intestinal lining in some cases and that can cause intestinal shed, especially if it's appearing frequently.

Worming is safe and, unlike an antibiotic, it can be given even if you only suspect worms may be present. Worming meds are a sedative for the worms, knocking them out so they lose grip on the intestines and then can be flushed out.