Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: Tensing on June 15, 2006, 11:48
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As I am sure you all know I am fairly new to poultry keeping.
We have 5 Silkie Bantams now 19 weeks old. They have been with us for almost 2 weeks now.
For the last 24 hours at least one of them, don’t know which has had diarrhea or at least rather runny poo. It is also lighter coloured then normal poo.
They all seem perky and interested in food/water. Their feathers are clean, one did have a slightly weepy eye the other day, but I washed it with salty water and that’s fine now.
My instinct is that it may have been because of the last couple of cooler wet days we have had after the very warm previous week or so. Is this possible? They did get wet yesterday when it rained as they just sat in the run and looked bedraggled and wet.
Is there anything I should be doing, is a visit to our local vet necessary (not a farm vet more a cats and dog vet)?
Any advice comments would be great.
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Not the brightest of creatures are they :)
My instinct would be to make sure they're not eating anything unusual - maybe restrict them from access to anything but what you want them to eat for a day or two.
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Hi again Caroline
You may have seen caecal droppings. A chicken has two types of dropping, intestinal and caecal. The intestinal is the normal firm type you see. The latter is from the caecal pouches of the intestine area where cellulose is broken down. These droppings are smellier, runny, foamy and lighter in colour. About one in ten droppings are of this type.
I would only be concerned if symptoms persist, or the hen looks off colour in other ways.
John
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Well they are all still doing this runny type poo, which is a yellow/caramel sort of colour and has a gel like look to it. But they all seem happy and bright, still rummaging for bugs and things, eating and drinking.
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Just have to share this - as I scanned the page I thought this topic subject said "Batman Poo"!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :oops:
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Holy Bat Guano, Batgirl!
We fought the Riddler and the Joker and now it's ... the Squitty Bantam!
Think this is one for Robin :)
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Hi Caroline,
I have seen at least three sorts/colours of chicken faeces and they are all normal, reular green, white and foamy as Rutal Living describes and caramel coloured, a bit like a suasage of melted Caramac.
There is no problem here. Its normal for chickens to do this.
ps started keeping chickens in 1963!
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Thanks it was just a bit worrying when you first see it, especially when daughters chicken keeping book says its serious and she running round announcing the chickens are dying.