Smelly Chocolate Brown Poop. Not Cecal poop.

[purpletree23]

One of my hens looks fine but her poops for the past 3 days have been like chocolate pudding (sorry everyone

) in color and consistency. They smell horrible. Alone with a balanced egg layer crumble they free range, have access to grit and oyster shell, fresh water, a weekly treat of unflavored/sweetened yogurt. Sometimes scratch because it is so cold lately.

Any ideas friends?

 

[dawg53]

Cecal poop is normally excreted 8-10 times a day. If it's constant cecal poop, there's a problem.

 

[casportpony]

Cecal poop is normally excreted 8-10 times a day. If it's constant cecal poop, there's a problem.

X2. If you're not seeing any firm poop with a white cap there is a problem. This is what you should see if it's not cecal poop.





-Kathy

 

[Michael Apple]

Chickens find all sorts of interesting items to eat while ranging. You will see loose droppings from time to time.
Here's some helpful info if you encounter problems in the future:
Flushing and Poult Enteritis
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/poulsci/tech_manuals/flushing_poult_enteritis.pdf

 

[purpletree23]

Interesting link Michael Apple. I have it filed away for reference in the future and will pass it on to other BYC'ers who can use the information.

She definitely is not having normal poops. More like constant cecal poops that Dawg mentioned.

Does anyone have a diagnosis or come across this before?

 

[Michael Apple]

Some species of Coccidiosis protozoa attack the intestinal tract, and others, the ceca. You might want to first run some Corid 9.6% liquid in the water at 2 tsp per gallon for 5-7 days and see if it clears up. Then run vitamins-electrolytes and a water soluble powder probiotic like Probios for 3-5 days after treatment. Here's some info about Coccidiosis:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/1138/coccidiosis-control

If that doesn't do the trick then neomycin and bacitricin powder in water is often used for bacterial enteritis. You mix equal parts together dry in a jar, and give 1 heaping teaspoon per gallon of water. People like myself have also had success with individual treatments of penicillin or cepahalexin tabs. I give 250 mg for a mature standard breed 2x a day for 5 days and it cleared right up.

Another protozoan causes Histomoniasis which is commonly called Blackhead. The ceca gets damaged with this disease and is passed by cecal worms. Chickens get thirsty, lose appetite, get weak, and excrete yellowish brown droppings or foamy or watery droppings. Metronidazole, aka Flagyl, is the treatment for this @ 250 mg for a 5+lb bird for 5 days. Wait a few days after the last treatment while supplementing vitamins-electrolytes and probiotics in water. If the symptoms are gone, worm with Safeguard liquid goat wormer or Valbazen suspension. Dosage for both is orally at .5 cc for standard breeds, or .25 cc for bantams. Worm again 10 days later.

 

[michellepagan]

I am having the same issue in my flock. They are all eating and drinking normally, and behaving as they usually do. Except mine have stopped laying as well. I think the laying has more to do with the fact that they were in the summer coop and were not getting enough light. Yesterday we moved them jnto thier new permament coop that has a heat lamp in there that is on all the time. We have already seen negative numbers at night here.

We have nothing more than the occassional I stuck my face to far into the water sneezes, all of our eyes are clear. We have a trough feeder always filled with calcium based grit, I feed whole feed corn (the kind you get for feeding squirrels) 5-6 cobs a month, kitchen scraps ( nothing cooked with oil or any type of meat product), plus about 30# of feed a week, and we try to free range them a couple hours a week in our yard (we have dog issues)..

So....other than a probitotic for a week or so is there anything else you would suggest. I am going to head to the feed store here in a little while and do the milk replacer thing suggested by the article Michael apple posted. I hate to use antibiotics based on a guess before trying other things first. Should I cut out everything from thier diet for the time being and just use feed and the "medicine" or is it okay to keep feeding as normal. Should I add a weekly yogurt feeding to my girls to help keep thier digestive juices flowing and if so can I use whatever is in the fridge or does it have to be the plain unflavored stuff?

Okay I think thats all my questions.

 

[purpletree23]

Wow Michael Apple! Thank you so much. I will start with remedy #1 and proceed down the list if it doesn't work. Jeffers livestock should have what I need. I'm probably one of their best customers.

I need a new waterer anyway.

I've mentioned to Dawg that he should write a book because he is so knowledgeable but said he isn't interested. You're up! A 'how to care for and treat your chickens' book would fly off the shelves. There aren't any sources (that I'm aware of) that has a simple chart that lists the symptoms and cures and dosages for chicken diseases. The majority of the books only tell half the story. How to start chicks, what to feed them in the different stages of growth and housing. A very small percentage tell you that chickens can get lice and mites and get crop bound and get worms and bumblefoot and so on. I don't think any of them talk about first aid.

My chicken first aid kit came together as emergencies or injuries came about. I wish I had put one together before I got the chickens.

Food for thought.

 

[michellepagan]

I went out to check on my girls this morning only to hear 2 of them "sneezing" its a good thing I picked up the antibiotic yesterday when I got the rest of the stuff.So we are going to run the antibiotic (tetracycline) for the next 7 days and see if that helps them kick whatever they picked up. My question from here is do I use the probiotic water at the same time or just the electrolytes. Then follow with the probiotic after the antibiotic finished. And how soon should I reasonably see results from this 3 days or 10?

 

[Michael Apple]

I went out to check on my girls this morning only to hear 2 of them "sneezing" its a good thing I picked up the antibiotic yesterday when I got the rest of the stuff.So we are going to run the antibiotic (tetracycline) for the next 7 days and see if that helps them kick whatever they picked up. My question from here is do I use the probiotic water at the same time or just the electrolytes. Then follow with the probiotic after the antibiotic finished. And how soon should I reasonably see results from this 3 days or 10?

With most oxytetracycline soluble powders they recommend 7-14 days depending on severity of symptoms. By the third day you should see some improvement. Use 1 tablespoon per gallon of water. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of Ocean Spray cranberry juice in with it. The juice will improve the taste and the vitamin C will help with the absorption of tetracycline. Let that be the only source of drinking water and make a fresh solution each day.

Avoid giving any dairy or extra calcium during this time as it will inhibit absorption of tetracycline.

After you've run the course of antibiotics, run vitamin/electrolyte powder in addition to probiotic powder in the waterers for 3-5 days. I use Avian Super Pack because of the superior levels of vitamins and minerals compared to others. I then add Probios dispersible powder with it. Certain brands often found at feed stores contain all three for convenience.