Zinc poisoning?

[ferocious]

My 3 chickens have had diaharria for a while now. First I thought they might have parasites of some kind and followed instructions about putting food grade DE in their feed. The diaharria now seems a bit better but is not gone and it does not seem to have as much of the white part which is the urine I believe.

Now I am concerned that they could have zinc poisoning from my putting apple cider vinegar in their galvanized aluminum water container as instructed to keep algae down. Now I hear that this is bad because it breaks down the coating which is made of zinc. So I am keeping a number of stainless steel pots filled with fresh water instead and no acv in it. I freshen the water several times a day.

A new development that I have noticed is that their egg shells are thinner and the also they are laying less. We are no longer eating the eggs for fear of contamination.

I feed them a high quality layer pack crumble with oyster shells as one of the ingredients. So I doubt that it is causing the thinner shells. They have been eating it for years. They also free range part of the day.

Their appetite is still good but always from the beginning they have been rather thin. Their eggs were always fabulous and shells nice and thick before this even though they are thin. They free range a lot so they get plenty of exercise and I have always assumed that their thinness is because of that because their diet is pretty great.

Any advice would be most welcome and appreciated.

Kathleen

 

[Eggcessive]

DE will do nothing for parasites in your chickens because it is basically worthless once it becomes wet inside the body. Try some probiotics in your water if your feed doesn't have them, and worm them with Valbazen or SafeGuard liquid goat wormer. ACV really does nothing for chickens, so I would just stop using it. Make sure that your chickens have layer feed and access to crushed egg shells and oyster shell free choice. While most of my chickens have strong shells, there are always a few that don't. It may be a calcium absorbing problem or maybe vitamin D deficiency, but with a good brand of feed that shouldn't be a problem. Do your chickens seem to like their feed? Mine prefer pellets, and when I got some crumbles recently, they wouldn't eat well. Try boosting calories with a little gamebird feed for treats.

 

[ferocious]

Thanks - It's a high quality layer pack crumble with oyster shells and it's supposed to have everything they need. They like it better if I wet it a little but they definitely eat it when they have to stay in the run. They love meal worms and I give them that sometimes as a treat. I'll try what you suggest. They eat all day long unless they are having a rest or a dust bath.

I already stopped the acv because I read that it corrodes the galvanized aluminum and even stainless steel. I keep lots of fresh water out for them everywhere in stainless steel now because the water seems to stay cleaner. I freshen the water several times a day. I threw out the old G. Aluminum one already. I was giving a few drops of the acv because it does help with the algae but I have found that the stainless steel does not seem to get it. I just keep the water in ss pots. It's so much easier.

They seem perfectly happy and have the usual energy. Running around all day. There is no lethargy or any of the zinc poisoning symptoms I read about except diaharria which seems much better now and there is plenty of white in the poop but it's still a little watery - nowhere near as much though.

The eggs are a bit better some of the time but still kind of weak. The shells used to be very hard and the yolks were deep yellow to orange. Now they are paler.

Thanks for your reply - much appreciated that you took the time to be helpful.

K : )

 

[Eggcessive]

Try giving your chickens some kale (not too much since that also can be harmful if overdone) to help them get the deep orange back into their eggs. Mine love to eat it out of the suet feeders when I cram a bunch into them. They do better if it is chopped in a bowl up or if they can pull it out into small pieces from a feeder. Mine seem to prefer kale over spinach or other greens or lettuce.

 

[ferocious]

Thank you eggcessive - I have noticed that mine get diaharria when they eat anything in the cabbage family but will try and put a tiny bit in maybe some yogurt and see what happens.

What a beautiful photonthatvis. What kind of bird is that?

Thanks again for your reply.

K : )

 

[allbirds4me]

Thanks - It's a high quality layer pack crumble with oyster shells and it's supposed to have everything they need. They like it better if I wet it a little but they definitely eat it when they have to stay in the run. They love meal worms and I give them that sometimes as a treat. I'll try what you suggest. They eat all day long unless they are having a rest or a dust bath.

I already stopped the acv because I read that it corrodes the galvanized aluminum and even stainless steel. I keep lots of fresh water out for them everywhere in stainless steel now because the water seems to stay cleaner. I freshen the water several times a day. I threw out the old G. Aluminum one already. I was giving a few drops of the acv because it does help with the algae but I have found that the stainless steel does not seem to get it. I just keep the water in ss pots. It's so much easier.

They seem perfectly happy and have the usual energy. Running around all day. There is no lethargy or any of the zinc poisoning symptoms I read about except diaharria which seems much better now and there is plenty of white in the poop but it's still a little watery - nowhere near as much though.

The eggs are a bit better some of the time but still kind of weak. The shells used to be very hard and the yolks were deep yellow to orange. Now they are paler.

Thanks for your reply - much appreciated that you took the time to be helpful.

K : )

just curious for I have seen often here, why do people wet their birds feed ?
IMHO not a good idea, promotes mold growth if it sits too long, then you can have some serious issues like aspergillosis and/or thrush.

 

[ferocious]

I wet it because they like it that way. I don't ever allow mold to grow. It's 98 to 100 degrees here in Northern California right now so it does not stay wet very long. I monitor my chickens religiously. I would never allow them to eat moldy feed. I feed them small amounts at a time. I am not a major chicken raiser - I have only 3 chickens - just a hobbyist. My girls are like pets to me and I take very good care of them. :/

 

[Eggcessive]

Thank you eggcessive - I have noticed that mine get diaharria when they eat anything in the cabbage family but will try and put a tiny bit in maybe some yogurt and see what happens.

What a beautiful photonthatvis. What kind of bird is that?

Thanks again for your reply.

K : )

That is some type of woodpecker, perhaps a red bellied, but not sure. It's not my picture. Most chickens will choose wet food over dry, and it is a good way to get them to eat the powdery feed that is left over in the bottom of the feeder. I have used fermented feed in the past, with a little AC vinegar added to start the fermentation. It takes about 3 days for a batch to be ready to feed, and they love it. I just stopped after 7 months, since it was messy and created more cleaning of pans, ect. It is much easier to do during cooler months, than hot ones.