Understanding Bloody, White, Green, and Watery Chicken Poop
Watery chicken poop, bloody, white, yellow, etc., are age-long signs that farmers use to monitor the heath of their chickens. However, to use this chicken poop chart method, you must understand what a normal chicken poop looks like. Not only that, you need to know when and why chickens poop are bloody, white, green, black, yellow and watery chicken poop. If you have ever asked questions like:
- What does watery chicken poop mean?
- Why is my chicken poop watery?
- Why is my chicken poop bloody?
- Where can I see a chicken poop chart?
- And so on…
Then this article is help to answer those questions. I will be showing you how to treat diarrhea in chickens, coccidiosis in chickens and how to use the color and texture of chicken poops to diagnose their health.
Table of Contents
Normal Chicken Poop
The truth about normal chicken poop is that there is no fixed color. It still depends on the diet and state of chicken’s health. While the ash poop with white cap is generally assumed to be the normal chicken poop, several shades of colors can be normal too. However, these other colors should not persist for too long. If they do, then your chickens might be having some diseases. Unlike watery chicken poop, normal chicken poop is supposed to be firm.
Green Chicken Poop or Greenish Dropping
If your chickens have been exposed to greens like vegetables or grasses, then a green chicken poop might just be based on diet. However the kind of greenish droppings from exposure of chickens to vegetable is less likely to look like a diarrhea. If you are sure that nothing that the chickens have eaten should cause the green poop, then you might want to consider some possible diseases.
Sometimes, the green poop might be watery chicken poop, and other times, they are firm. Your birds my be showing signs of Avian flu, Newcastle disease, Marek’s disease, or the less scary probable cause – internal worms.
Finally, it could be a sign that your chickens have been starved for too long. I see this happen when chicken farmers run out of feed or are not available to feed their chickens. The greenish poop in the case of starvation is also not firm.
Suggested Treatment:
There is no need for treatment if the cause is dietary. However, if it is internal worms, you can use Ivermectin. Alternatively, use garlic and pawpaw seed as organic remedy for worms. In the case of viral causes like Newcastle disease, there is no synthetic treatment. However you can manage the disease and treat based on the symptoms that you see. Some antibiotics and lots of multivitamins will help restore your chickens to good health. See the video below to know how to manage Newcastle disease and other viral diseases of chickens.
You should always vaccinate your chickens against Newcastle disease and other viral diseases for prevention. You will also learn how to use Tagiri (Christmas melon for Newcastle disease) in this post
Yellow and Foamy Poop
This is sometimes noticed at the early stage of coccidiosis. It is a safe period to administer an effective coccidiostat to quick recovery. It can also be an indication of fowl typhoid (Salmonellosis) or internal worm infestation.
Suggested Treatment:
For Coccidiosis, use drugs like Amprolium, Embazine Forte, Amprococ, or Tultrazuril. See how to use bitter leaf as an organic remedy for coccidiosis. For internal worms, use Ivermectin. Alternatively, use garlic and pawpaw seed as organic remedy for worms
Bloody Chicken Poop
Bloody poop can appear as watery chicken poops without any solid, and sometimes with they normal solid grey matter. Bloody poop is characteristic of coccidiosis and the amount of blood depends on the severity of the condition. The more the damage that is done to the intestinal lining, the more the blood in droppings. Usually, chickens with severe cases of coccidiosis will not have appetite to eat. This is because coccidiosis takes its toll on the intestine of its victim.
Suggested Treatment:
Use drugs like Amprolium, Embazine Forte, Amprococ, or Tultrazuril. See how to use bitter leaf as an organic remedy for coccidiosis.
Brown Runny Chicken Poop
Sometimes, this is only a result of foods that are high in liquid. Hens will excrete this kind of poop a few times a day. If that is the case, then you have nothing to worry about.
However, runny brown poop can also be a sign of either Infectious bronchitis or E.coli infection. If so, you will have to treat your chickens pretty quickly.
Suggested Treatment:
Use strong antibiotics like oxytetracycline, erythromycin, gentatylo, etc. You can also see how to use garlic as an organic remedy for the condition.
White, Milky Chicken Poop
This can either be internal worms, Pullorum (Bacillary White Disease) or a case of gumboro disease, also known as Infectious Bursal Disease. The first can be easily treated with a dewormer, the second requires some antibiotics, while the last threat to any farmer. This is because the morbidity and mortality rates are usually very high.
Suggested Treatment:
Use Ivermectin for worm, but IBD should be prevented with Gumboro vaccine. Alternatively, you can use Tagiri (Christmas melon) for Organic prevention.
Clear or Watery Chicken Poop
Usually, this can be a sign that your chickens have been stressed. It can be as a result of transportation, or they’ve been out of feed for a while.
Where watery chicken poop is a concern is when it is an indication of Infectious bronchitis.
Suggested Treatment:
You should use strong antibiotics to revive your chickens. You shouldn’t have this problem if you usually include garlic and other organic body guards in your chicken diet.
Black Chicken Poop
If you are sure that your chickens have not been out to eat some dark apples or charcoal, then you might want to suspect internal bleeding. It could also be as a result of very high level of protein in your chicken feed. Another thing that could cause black Poop is when your hen is brooding and has not eaten for a while. She may pass out a big load of this dark watery poop but not as black as when it is internal bleeding.
Suggested Treatment:
For internal bleeding, administer vitamins. For high protein content in feed, manipulate your feed formula accordingly.
Verdict
This post is intended to help you diagnose the health condition of your chickens. It is also intended to help you answer those questions that come to mind when you suddenly see a strange poop in your chicken coop. However, if you are still not sure what might be wrong, you should take your chicken for a test.
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