Chicken Poop

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by Claressa Moorhouse
(Clio, Mi.)

Question

Chicken Poop: This is my first flock of chicks, My girls are 1 month old, I have 8 of them, 4 are Buff Orpington and I'm not sure what the other 4 are yet, when I bought them the sign said assorted pullets.

I have done the research, made sure they are on the proper food and water; I clean their wood chips everyday.

It seems a few of them have diarrhea. I also have a chick that is much smaller than the others and her feathers have been plucked off her neck, my husband thinks she is doing it to herself along with the help of one of her sisters.

I check her all the time, there are no sores or bumps, no eye problems or wetness anywhere on her, and they all eat and drink well, and seem healthy.

I don't no what to do or if I did something wrong. I read all about the different chicken diseases a few days ago.

I was in the cage with them checking all of them, I had found myself picking each girl up to smell her and make sure they didn’t have a foul scent.

The girls were looking at me like I had lost my mind but after reading about all those chicken diseases I had become a little freaked. Just to let you no, my girls smell like a chicken and wood chips.

I really don't no what to do and would really love some advice.

Answer
It sounds like you are taking very good care of your little chickens. Droppings tell a lot about what is going on inside the digestive tract.

When diarrhea is present, often that chicken is suffering nutritionally due to foods passing through not thoroughly digested.

This can cause some nutritional deficiencies and stunt growth. This smaller chick would probably benefit from some probiotics, which would help the others as well.

You can purchase a probiotic paste at the feed store, or feed some plain live culture yogurt, about one tsp per chick, for a few days.

The live cultures will benefit all your chicks and hopefully help this one do better. Feeding some grated apple and chopped leafy greens can also help with good digestion.

Fresh fruits and vegetation provide digestive enzymes and fiber.

Feed stores usually carry a product called Chick Save that contains vitamins and minerals and electrolytes.

This would be good for all your chicks, and may provide the smaller chick with some missing nutrients to help her catch up and be healthier.

It’s doubtful there is disease present other than a simple digestive problem, but if the little one doesn’t respond to supplements she may have a flaw in her digestive tract preventing her from living and growing normally.

Getting her droppings tested by a vet might show the presence of a disease, possibly an imbalance in digestive bacteria that might respond to an antibiotic.

I prefer the more natural approach, trying to cure a problem first with supplements and resorting to medicine, if supplements fail to help.

You might research Diatomaceous Earth as a natural supplement for your chickens. I buy food grade DE on line.

It provides trace minerals and can help balance digestion as well as create an unfriendly environment for intestinal parasites later in life.

The fine dust can work in the chicken’s environment to dehydrate external parasites.

It’s completely natural and will benefit your chickens throughout their lives while not introducing chemicals that could contaminate eggs.

Glad your chicks smell good! That’s always a good sign. Even if the chicks might think you’ve lost your mind, we don’t.

Being hands on and observant is the most important factor in the health of your chickens, coupled with good food, water and a healthy environment.