Yellowish/Watery Poop

[tarahharlin]

I have been noticing occasional poops like this in the morning from my Buff Orpington hen. Does anyone know what this might be indicative of?

She just turned 4 years old and laid her first egg of the season last week. Prior to that, she had stopped laying last July when she began molting and hasn't laid until now. She's never been a really good layer, but at the same time, she hasn't had any issues with laying soft eggs, etc... Since last summer, I have had a suspicion, or gut feeling that there might be something going on with her internally, but hard to take into a vet when there's no obvious symptoms of anything. To someone who didn't know her, she probably would appear fine, but it's the little things that I notice and some of the poops I see, that I can't help, but worry. She eats and drinks just fine, free ranges with the girls, but sometimes she just doesn't seem as active as the others. I've also noticed that she's been hanging in the coop longer in the mornings. They were all dewormed this past November with Valbazen and she's never had any prior health issues. I know none of this can pinpoint anything and can mean a variety of diseases. I think I am going to try and get a sample tested just to rule out any of those issues.

I guess I'm just curious if anyone has seen poops like this before?

Thanks for any thoughts, or advice!

~Tarah

 

[tarahharlin]

I also forgot to note that her abdomen seems to feel normal and there are no crop issues.

 

[jonalisa]

I don't know, it doesn't look that odd to me. I was just going to ask if there were any crop issues... But saw your note. I'm going to search a bit and see if I see anything...

 

[jonalisa]

So, I'm wondering if that could be an egg without a shell. Does it look like that to you?

 

[tarahharlin]

So, I'm wondering if that could be an egg without a shell. Does it look like that to you?

Thanks for your reply! I don’t know. I have to say that when I first saw it, that didn’t come to mind, but I guess it could be a possibility. Overall, her urates seem to be more yellow. I actually did get a sample from her and brought it in to have tested. Of course it didn’t end up looking like the one in the photo though. I’m still waiting on the results.

 

[Eggcessive]

There is a lot of mucus in the poop, so I am glad that you got some droppings tested. Coccidiosis or worms could be a possibility, but you should know soon. Older hens can have reproductive problems, and I see all kinds of weird poops on my roost boards from them. Let us know what the fecal float shows.

 

[tarahharlin]

There is a lot of mucus in the poop, so I am glad that you got some droppings tested. Coccidiosis or worms could be a possibility, but you should know soon. Older hens can have reproductive problems, and I see all kinds of weird poops on my roost boards from them. Let us know what the fecal float shows.

Thanks for your input! The vet just called with her fecal results and everything looked normal...no parasites, no coccidia, or anything abnormal, so I guess that is a good thing to rule those out. Reproductive issues/cancer is my worry, especially given how common it seems. I never realized how common it was until we lost our first hen last year to this and I have read a lot of threads on here about it. However, I also know there's not much that can be done about it either. Hopefully she has lots of life left in her! She's my #1 lap chicken.

 

[Eggcessive]

That goes to show how we cannot make a diagnosis strickly by looking at a poop sample, even with the foam, the mucus, and the yellowish parts. Hope she lives a long life.

 

[jonalisa]

Thanks for your input! The vet just called with her fecal results and everything looked normal...no parasites, no coccidia, or anything abnormal, so I guess that is a good thing to rule those out. Reproductive issues/cancer is my worry, especially given how common it seems. I never realized how common it was until we lost our first hen last year to this and I have read a lot of threads on here about it. However, I also know there's not much that can be done about it either. Hopefully she has lots of life left in her! She's my #1 lap chicken.

Fingers crossed for you and your friend.

 

[tarahharlin]

That goes to show how we cannot make a diagnosis strickly by looking at a poop sample, even with the foam, the mucus, and the yellowish parts. Hope she lives a long life.

That's very true and thank you again.