New chickens' poop really stinks!

[Birdielee]

I've actually been feeding the 1st hen differently than the new ones. She ate a lot of sunflower seeds during and after her surgery, and the new feed (not combined with the old) with nutridrench after that. Today she didn't want to eat, and i convinced her with sunflower seeds, oatmeal, and barley mixed with the moistened feed.

 

[Birdielee]

How long will it take for the new feed to change their smell?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If possible, take some poop samples to your vet for testing.

It doesn't take long for a change in feed to affect the digestive system - I would say 24-48 hours.

 

[NatJ]

Because i feel pretty sure the new ones weren't eating this stuff where they came from.

Maybe not the exact same stuff, but there might be a single ingredient that is causing the smell--and that ingredient could have been in their old food, too.

I've actually been feeding the 1st hen differently than the new ones. She ate a lot of sunflower seeds during and after her surgery, and the new feed (not combined with the old) with nutridrench after that. Today she didn't want to eat, and i convinced her with sunflower seeds, oatmeal, and barley mixed with the moistened feed.

Maybe the smell is caused by sunflower seeds or barley or oats (all can sometimes be found in chicken feed, and neglected chickens might have been helping themselves to bird seed or grain fed to other animals, before you got them.)

Or they might all be eating some plant that affects the smell of the poop. I know that when the mulberries get ripe where I live, the wild birds eat a lot and leave purple poop all over--I have never sniffed, but it's an example of how drastically one plant can change an animal's poop at some seasons.

 

[Birdielee]

A same ingredient in both feeds. Ok, sure. That makes sense.

 

[Birdielee]

Thinking more on it, yes, that makes sense that the new feed might produce this smell. I'll report back after a while on the feed.

What about bacteria/sicknesses/ parasites?
What besides diet changes smell of feces?

 

[Dephora]

Yeah, I have found that when poop REALLY smells it is more of a bacteria issue. I have seen this in my own chickens and in new chickens I inherited from less than great homes. Or from chickens recently treated with medicated feed or antibiotics, anything that kills the good bacteria in their bodies as well as the bad.

It will take time for them to build their good bacteria up enough to fight off the abomination happening in their intestines. But to do that they need to come into contact with good bacteria. I recommend adding probiotic to their feed, and trying fermentation again, making sure the grain or pellet/crumble is TOTALLY submerged atleast 2 inches of water over the feed line. If it gets worse or you see blood get a fecal test.

 

[Dephora]

Actually I can see that your new feed has a ton of added probiotics already. So if you give it time it should help if a bad bacteria overgrowth is the problem.

 

[Birdielee]

Actually I can see that your new feed has a ton of added probiotics already. So if you give it time it should help if a bad bacteria overgrowth is the problem.

Yeah, it does. Thanks for the tip about more water when i want to ferment the feed.

 

[Birdielee]

How long have you had them?
What are you feeding them?

Don't give them charcoal or anything else but normal feed - see if the smell improves.
Stress, change in diet, etc. can affect poop.

It's not a bad idea to take some poop samples for testing to see if worms might be a problem. Good that you are keeping newbies away from your existing flock just so you can monitor their health for a few weeks.

About 2 weeks in and their smell improved greatly. I just found out my original hen has tapeworms, so i guess everybody will be getting wormed at some point this summer