Help!! My chickens are pooping water!

[poz3]

We are new chicken owners and have 18 backyard chickens. They just started laying last week and we were so excited! On and off we have had runny poop and we were told just to buy a bag of medicated feed and that seemed to kind of take care of it. NOW, however, the poop isn't just runny but is basically just water and some has very little color at all. Sometimes it has black slimmy streaks in it! They seem to be acting fine?? They are free range but are in sort of a large fenced in area- plenty of bugs and greens available. I also feed them grower/layer feed twice a day from TSC?? What could be happening???????

 

[DragonFeathers]

I have heard that TSC chicken feed is not the best choice of feed...... if it is really hot and they are drinking more water that may be the reason for the watery poop...Maybe someone else will chime in and help more than I can, best of luck and keep us posted.

 

[threehorses]

I'm thinking about what Dragonfeathers is thinking on this one. For sure, during the summer they will drink a lot and you will see droppings that contain more urine than feces or urates.

For those new to poopology, droppings are composed of three parts: "feces", the solid wormlike potion that are usually brownish tannish green; "urates" which are the white crystal-like portion usually on top of the feces; and "urine", the clear watery substance that may or may not be present in a dropping. That's the three-part normal dropping. Every so often during the day birds will also have what is called a "cecal" dropping where they are cleaning out their cecal, two blind-pouches close to the vent. Those droppings are often pudding-like in texture, particularly smelly, and draw more flies as a result. They also stain; hope this doesn't happen in your lap!

In the summer time, because of the high a mount of water needed for birds to make their evaporative cooling system (panting) work, they will consume a lot of water and consequently pass more water in the droppings sometimes. This is also common when we give them water treats - like watermelon, lettuce, etc.

I'd say the streaks are, in this case, a little bit of feces being cleared.

If you're concerned, you can try giving all your girls a treat of some plain live-culture yogurt once a week. I find this to be particularly helpful during the first weeks of laying when the birds' bodies are a little more stressed. Besides, the vitamin D fortification and slightly higher amount of calcium are helpful to the girls. Also be sure to give your girls free-choice oyster shells at this time so that the ones that need a little more calcium have it available to instinctively pick up.

I, too, have heard some not-so-wonderful things about the Dumor feeds from TSC (apparently made by Purina, but seemingly not at all the usually Purina quality -probably an ecomony brand). The Kent feeds, however, seem to be good. Some people are complaining of huge droppings with bad smells from the feed.

 

[poz3]

Thanks so much! I will watch them and try the yogurt. I think I might start switching over the feed too. Thanks for the help!

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
I've not had any experience with that feed personally but I have occassionally switched brands to see if another was better for my flock (ingredients being equal basically).

And sometimes that means not the brand but the feedstore - how quick their feed turnaround is, etc. Like Purina is often a well spoken of brand, but here I have a feedstore that turns over Nutrena quicker and so that feed actually works out better than the one feedstore's Purina because it's more fresh and still has more 'oomph' to it.

 

[chick4chix]

I worried about ours too when they pooped water- it seems there is a huge variations in doodoo that is still within the normal range. Here is an excellent link with photos of what is normal and not:
http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0

 

[poz3]

SUPER! The link for the different poos was awesome! Just what I needed....I guess we are fine- we tend to overworry! THanks so much- everyone!

 

[threehorses]

Well don't worry.

I've had chickens for ages and turkeys for years and the other day I worked myself up into a lather over cecal droppings, thinking SURELY my turkeys had blackhead. When they didn't. They just had normal cecal droppings.

Sometimes it's nice to just have a second opinion to help us get focused back and a little more relaxed.

 

[gjoyner]

That is the SAME link someone gave me! There was a "weird" poo and I FREAKED and ran on here and called people. I had no idea there was a wide variety of poo. I over worry m'self!

 

[michellesherbin]

What brand of layer food do you all use?