A little blood on poo... first eggs and horny roo

[RiversideChick]

Hello! I have a question about a small amount of blood I found in my coop that appeared to be mixed with mucus and poo.

I'm guessing it's related to either that my pullets have just begun laying or that my surprise cockerel has started trying to make babies. The whole flock is vaccinated against coccidia so I doubt it's that.

I'm mostly wondering if this is cause for immediate concern. No one is behaving oddly, lethargic, abnormal, etc. I'm hoping to keep the roo. He's generally very sweet with the girls and people and does a really good job looking out for predators like hawks and ravens. He's just horny as heck (18 wks old).

I'm sorry I don't have a photo of the poo. It definitely did not look like blood from an open wound or something like that.

Thanks!

 

[azygous]

It may have been a bit of intestinal lining expelled with the poop. This is normal if that is what it was.

Poop alone is merely one signal that you should be concerned. As long as all other signs are negative for problems, I suggest you just watch the behavior of the chickens over these next few days for anything else amiss.

Your cockerel may need to be in time-out for part of the day to give the girls some breathing room. A nice little jail section in the run is something every flock manager should try to set up. It goes a long way toward managing behavioral issues and can help maintain the peace.

 

[aart]

I'm mostly wondering if this is cause for immediate concern.

More than likely not, just keep an eye out.

I'm sorry I don't have a photo of the poo. It definitely did not look like blood from an open wound or something like that.

Anytime you see something funky it's good to get some pics, otherwise we are just guessing and that can lead to overreactions and unnecessary treatments.

A nice little jail section in the run is something every flock manager should try to set up. It goes a long way toward managing behavioral issues and can help maintain the peace.

Definitely! Segregation area or just a crate are very handy to have.

Can be hard to tell if he's really being too amorous. If the girls can eat and drink and are not constantly running from him, just leave them to work it out. If he's chasing them down and 'forcing' them to submit, he may need a time out. They should take 'no' for an answer....pursual is OK but insistence is not.

 

[Ridgerunner]

They should take 'no' for an answer

Thanks Aart, I needed a good giggle this morning.

I'm guessing it's related to either that my pullets have just begun laying or that my surprise cockerel has started trying to make babies.

I sincerely doubt it has anything to do with that cockerel trying to make babies. I just can't see how. With them just beginning to lay, maybe but I'd think unlikely. Not of it is mixed with poo. They may all come out of the same opening but the internal plumbing is different. That's to keep your eggs clean.

I'd suspect it is probably some sloughing of the intestinal lining, especially if it is just one doing it. That's normal and natural, does not mean anything is necessarily wrong. It's still a good idea to be on alert when you see something strange, but as long as they are all acting normal I would not worry.

Another thought. What have they been eating? I fed mine cooked beet skins one afternoon and thought they were pooping pure blood the next morning. Red cabbage can turn poop to a fluorescent blue. Did one or more get into something red?

The whole flock is vaccinated against coccidia so I doubt it's that.

That's a dangerous assumption. There are several different strains of the protozoa that can cause Cocci. The vaccine only protects them against certain strains. Since they are behaving normally I don't think it is Cocci, but never totally rule it out.

He's just horny as heck (18 wks old).

Absolutely totally normal. That's just a cockerel hyped up on hormones, a chicken being a chicken. As long as no one is being hurt, no one is being hurt. If someone is being hurt, that changes.

 

[aart]

They should take 'no' for an answer

Thanks Aart, I needed a good giggle this morning.

You're Welcome!
Levity Saves Lives.

 

[RiversideChick]

Another thought. What have they been eating? I fed mine cooked beet skins one afternoon and thought they were pooping pure blood the next morning. Red cabbage can turn poop to a fluorescent blue. Did one or more get into something red?

No red foods. It was an extremely small amount of blood (think, when your nose is dry and you blow it and sometimes there's a little blood in it) so I'm guessing its the intestinal lining issue mentioned by many of you.

thanks!

 

[RiversideChick]

Haven't seen any blood since. Everyone is still acting normal.