7 day old RIR pooped a worm, maybe

[MTchick]

My RIR chick has had normal poo since I got her on Thursday (it is Saturday) but today while I was cleaning their brooder I saw her poop out something funny. On closer inspection, it looks like either a worm or a stringy piece of tissue. It was very slightly bloody (maybe even my imagination) and I picked it up with a piece of toilet paper to look at. It has no obvious wormy characteristics (it isn't flattened, it isn't ribbed like an earthworm, it has no head-looking part) but it looks like a pink worm.

Forgive the grossness, but here is a photo. The thing in question measures 1 inch long;

Sorry it is out of focus- it is too tiny for my camera.

I'm feeding them a medicated chick feed and the chick in question is very healthy, vigorous, perky, clean, etc.

Any ideas? Should I get a separate de-wormer? Is it something from her body that is natural and not a disease or parasite?

I hope someone knows. As it is, I'm grossed out and concerned all at once.

-MTchick

 

[SpottedCrow]

I had one of those too, when I first got Penny...I wormed with DE and yoghurt and hadn't seen another one...I don't see how a 7 day old could've gotten ahold of a worm though...too cold for them to come up...

 

[MTchick]

The chick passed another stringy-red-wormy thing last night that looked the same as the one in the photo I posted. She still looks great in every other way- eating, drinking, pooping, running around, preening her little stubby wings, sleeping, scratching at her feed, screeching occasionally...

Does anyone know if this is something to be concerned about? I plan to de-worm the chicks before I put them outside in the spring, but should I do something sooner? I tried feeding them yogurt but they won't eat it. I'll try again in a few days, I think.

Thanks.

-MTchick

 

[bigzio]

MTchik, I can't imagine the need to worm them. While I can't identify the worm looking thing, I would think worming at all before a year old isn't a good idea at all. Please let someone else chime in here and help out before you think about wormers.

bigzio

 

[robin416]

Wait on Wes to see this, he'll probably have a good idea on what is going on and can give you an answer. Another possibility is to take a sample to the vet and let them look at it under the microscope.

 

[MTchick]

Update on the RIR chick-

She is still very spunky, active, bright eyed, etc. She is growing her wing feather stubs faster than the Araucana chick that should be the same age, so I'm guessing that means she is growing at an average rate. She eats, drinks, cheeps and sleeps normally. I have twice noticed that her poo had a very very tiny droplet of blood it- so that makes two known "worm-like" poo incidences, and two known "tiny bit of blood" incidences.

Is this a chick with a problem? Should I cut my losses (sad... but she is less than 10 days old so it would be a short and sweet life) and buy a new RIR chick? Should I quit worrying so much and just let her grow up to be a big chicken? All the other signs of healthiness for her are great... I don't understand what could be going on! She gets a bit pasted up sometimes but I clean her butt off twice or even three times a day and it is never a traumatic or difficult process for either of us.

I did a pretty exhaustive search on the internet for worms and worm like things that can show up in chickens and none of them followed the symptoms that I found, or at least I didn't think they did. I couldn't find any reason for her to have blood in her poop either, especially at such a tender age.

At the feed store, the chicks were on pine shavings. Here at home I have my two little chicks on clean bath towels to keep them safe from eating shavings. Is it possible she had a blockage from the shavings at the store and that is what is causing this problem? If that is the case, she should get over it soon, right?

-MTchick

 

[Wes in Tx]

Blood in the stool at that age is a sign of possible coccidiosis infection. You need to take a poop sample to the vet and have a fecal float test done to see what is going on.

Yes chicks that age can have worms. I start worming my birds naturally at day one. All it takes is one fly to lay and egg on the birds poop and the bird to peck at it and eat the egg and BAM baby got worms. As for cocci you may ask how could that be. Well you can transfer it to them on your hands.

To me that looks like a round worm but the only way to be sure is a fecal float test by a vet and they can recommend a wormer.

 

[bigzio]

Paitence is the key here. I'm afraid if you cull this little peep you are doing the wrong thing. Chicks peck, thats what they do. If this peep ate something that doesn't agree with it, ok but that's no reason to cull. If these peeps are 10 days old it's time to put them on shavings. They know the difference between feed and shavings, so let them be chickens and relax......

bigzio

 

[MTchick]

OK, so this leaves me rather angry at the hatchery that sold the feed store the chicks that I bought... eerrrrr... I wish I had more options for very small quantity chick purchasing at a reasonable price. Darn.

Anyway, I will try the fecal float test soon and will keep a tight eye on the chick. I also have read that a coccidiosis infection can sometimes just run its course, and that changing the litter (or towel, in my case) very frequently will keep the cocci "eggs" from maturing and infecting other birds in large/troublesome numbers. If it is worms, I will deworm once the chicks get old enough to tolerate the medication.

And bigzio, I know the towel is overkill at this point- I'm getting several new two day old chicks on Wednesday morning so switching to shavings for only about 24 hours seems a bit silly. Also, with the towels I can get rid of 99% of the potentially infectious materials for the new chicks and hopefully prevent them from getting mild diarrhea, bloody poo, possibly stunted growth, etc from their older sister.

Thanks for the help folks. I'll update on the RIR's condition when I know more about her mysterious infection. Right now she is just being a happy little chick, so I hope that keeps up and I don't have to worry about her any more.

-MTchick

 

[Wes in Tx]

MT the birds are old enough to worm right now with wazine. Yes you are correct on the cocci. Clean, dry shavings is a must.