Need Help - Rust Colored Poop in Most of my birds

[HennysMom]

Okay, I've been searching for hours now and can find nothing so I need ya'll's expertise here.

A few days ago (about 4), one of my birds started looking lethargic and began with some watery stools, they looked normal however, no blood, no odd color, just watery. I took her off her feed, provided space away from the others and gave her some probiotics, etc. (the normal procedure). She seemed like she was having issues walking and stayed away from the others, so I felt her abdomen and she felt like she hadnt laid an egg (I was missing 2 eggs for 3 days straight, normally get 6 a day, was only getting 4). So.. it was plausible she was just holding and was uncomfortable. In 2 days time, she was doing better, acting normal. So.. now.. ANOTHER hen has rust colored poop or even possibly all of them, I dont know - but I do know there is ALOT of it in the coop. The droppings are not normal as usual..they're softer than normal and larger than they ever have been, like 3 times the size - no worms that I can see. No hens are broody.

So.. my question is .. what is the rust colored poop? Its very soft, like diarrhea, but not very watery. its holding together, but I'm scared that my girls are all sick now. My hen Runt is a different hen that is acting like the other one (Henny) was acting a few days ago.

There is no blood. They are eating pellets with scratch and grain mixed in, getting grass each day free ranging, and some treats daily (cottage cheese, grapes, oats, grains, etc....not the same things, but you get the idea as to their diets). Crops seem normal, not overly filled - eyes clear (except for Runts..her pupils seem a bit larger tonight), noses clear, combs, wattles and ears nice and colorful.

ANY help would be appreciated. I'll keep looking through the forums, but I"m not finding very much.

Thanks,
Deb

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

i FEEL THE CHICKENS HAVE A BAD CASE OF E.coli
E.coli is something chickens do get
Now, anytime you have any gut problems, the health of the beneficial bacteria that should naturally occur in the gut should be considered.

Nathalie Ross provided this excerp

It's usually when the populations of those good
bacterial decrease that we see an INcreased in bad bacteria, thus gut illness. The good
bacteria literally crowd out bad bacteria, and some even secrete substances
that ward off over abundances of bad bacteria.

So during illness, and really any time there is
stress, you'll want to increase the number of good bacteria in your bird's gut. You can do
this quite easily through the use of probiotics
available over the counter, and some even at the grocery store.

In this case, with a
probability of E. coli, you'll want to find a
"probiotic" that contains live cultures of
Lactobacilus (most commonly lactobacilus
acidophilus) as well as B. bifidum.

Bifidum is one of those bacteria that secretes stuff to ward off bad bacteria, in this case it specifically wards off E.coli.

You're probably thinking "right, where am I going to get this, and how much will it cost?". Luckily, those two live bacteria are usually found in Walmart yogurt.

Just make sure it's NOT artificially sweetened.
(Birds don't do aspartame well.) You'll want to
encourage your bird to somehow take 1 teaspoon per day any time during medication.

Third, nutrition during illness:
You can mix it up with boiled/mashed egg yolk for a combination of good high protein for healing,
super nutrition from the egg, and the good bacteria from the yogurt. Plus, this treat is soft and easily dissolved.

Fourth vitamin E.
Vitamin E acts specifically against overdoses of E.coli. I'd use the oil capsules. ONE 400 MG PEOPLE vIT e DAILY TILL HELAED.
You can put it in a small bit of food if you
KNOW that bit of food will be eaten entirely.

When birds are sick, their crops/gizzards slow down, so it's really easy for their crops to back up and get impacted.

If you don't think your bird will eat yogurt (some dont, some love it),

then you can hedge your bets and pick up a non-dairy human probiotic from the human health food store.
You'll find them in the remedies for yeast infections. Liquids are easiest to use, though
you can crush tablets if you absolutely have to do.

Be sure to read the label to see
that it says that it contains both acidophilus (aka lactobacilus) as well as bifidum.
Nathalie Ross provided this excerp

Glenda L Heywood provided this

My favorite natural probiotic is this
for chicks over two weeks
adults all ages

NATURAL PROBIOTIC RECIPE
1 qt of dry crumbles
2 qts of milk any kind :ie sweet, sour, or buttermilk
(to make sour milk use 3 tbsp of apple cider vineager per gallon of milk, keep all unused sour milk in frig till used)
1/4 cup of natural unflavoered yoguart ( no artificial sweetner)

feed 3 tBsp per chickEN each time you feed it
what they will eat in 20-30 minutes
then clean milk feeder out and restore dry crumbles

use every day for a week after medicating them
then once a week will do for life of chicken
restores good gut flora to fight diseases

PS do give them the
2 tbsp of ACV to a gallon of water all the time you are feeding them their wet mash probiotic to help good gut flora

alos at least three times a week there after, so their bodies get Vit D and Calcium absorption
you can email me with questions PM

 

[NotTheMomma]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=185608

See if you see anything there that is the same symptoms. When I think of rust, or chocolate colored poop, I think of blood in the poop, and thus coccidiosis! But check out those links which gives you symptoms matched with the illness.

Good luck!

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

for coccidiosis then try this
1 gallon of dry crumbles
3 tbsp of cayanne pepper
and only feed this for their feed
do this for two weeks
then go to
2 tbsp of cayanne pepper for a gallon of feed

 

[sammi]

cocci treatment..Corid or Amprol
or Sulmet or Sulfadimethoxine (which also treats e-coli)

http://www.firststatevetsupply.com/store/index.php?cPath=21_29

bacitracin treats E-coli..but not cocci.

I think that the cayenne peeper helps treat worms.
not sure about cocci.

 

[HennysMom]

Thanks everyone..

Okay... I've looked at all the sites and I do not believe its cocci - the droppings do not smell at all - they're just very large, almost pudding like. Does that make sense? They were all formed before, normal chicken droppings. Now they're massive, not really wet but not where I can pick them up; they're more spread out, but still solid if that makes any sense to you. Still rust colored, but not blood, I've looked very carefully through it.

I'm heading to the store in a moment to get a different yogurt to ensure they have the right kind as well as some Pedialyte to put in their water just to rehydrate them a bit. Since I dont know how many have it, I'm just going to treat them all the same.

It sounds like e. coli but... I just dont know. I dont want to medicate them if I can do it organically, but I WILL medicate if necessary. The people around here at our Feed stores know absolutely NOTHING about the meds (they've advised wrong in the past..which is why I ask ya'll) so I dont want to give them the wrong thing

. The one hen that was sick (Henny) a few days ago seems normal now so this must be going through the flock - then they recover. Does E. coli do that? I dont understand how they got it though, their coop is cleaned out 3 times a week and all droppings scraped daily and raked every other day so there is never any down long enough. They also get fresh play sand put down as its raked out, along with DE in the coop and pen once a week. Fresh pine bedding in the coop as well (and DE). Water is changed 3 times a day... santizied weekly as is their food bowl.

Any ideas? Also - is it safe to eat the eggs? If not..how long afterwards before we can eat them again?

I'm so grossed out now... My poor girls.. I hate to see them sick. We're leaving for the weekend so I'm even more worried. I'm going to try to pump them full of what I can today and then come back home Sunday to do it again...before coming back home again on Monday.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

 

[NotTheMomma]

http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0

See if you notice the poop on this site. It shows what's normal, and what's not. Best of luck!

 

[HennysMom]

Quote:
Nope... doesnt look like any of these - I've been thoroughly searching all night and most of the morning for pictures that would come even close - and nothing so far.

I gave them for breakfast this morning Organic yogurt with all the things required in it, wet mash, and added some spinach as well as some pedialyte to wet it down. They all gobbled it up so we'll see how it goes.

Also added to their water ACV, so we'll see from there, they dont seem to want to drink it but I guess if they get thirsty enough they will. My one girl is laying down with her tail in the air, almost doing a pumping action.. she did eat this morning but not very much. All vents are clear and moist so nothing there. No mites, no ticks, no lice..nothing.

Getting ready to leave in about 30 minutes...hopefully they'll be okay until Sunday when I return around 6:00 a.m.

I hate leaving but I cant cancel either.

 

[NotTheMomma]

Could it be cecal poo then? If so, that is totally normal!

 

[HennysMom]

nope, not cecal poop...

sorry, been sick since getting back from our weekend getaway.

Birds seem to be doing better...gave them yogurt, pedialyte and ACV.

I do want to know what antibiotic is best for them should I have to give them one however.... Some say Sulmet other say Ampro... and I'm confused on which works best. I dont think they have worms, I dont see anything in their droppings at all, but... they've never been wormed either to my knowledge (unless you can worm a week old peep because thats when I got them).

Would appreciate any help. Also - is it safe to eat the eggs if they have E. coli given the eggs would be cooked? No one answered that question previously.