Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Chicken Poop....




Normal

 

Picture taken by Catsmuvva

These last three pictures have shed intestinal lining in them - quite normal, not a cause for concern.


Coral coloured Urates



These are frequently deposited overnight and are quite normal

Oily and Foamy



The range of "Normal" is huge  :shock:

Ceacal

 

These are produced from the caecum of the chicken and are mustard to dark brown froth. They are expelled every 8 to 10 droppings.

Fly Maggots


(picture curtesy of Vember)

Flies will lay their eggs on moist chicken poo and in warm weather they will very quickly hatch into small maggots.

Watery



Watery droppings can be produced by hens which are too hot.  It can be a way for them to cool down by drinking a lot and losing some of their heat in frequent wet droppings.  It can also be a sign that the hens are not eating enough too.

Abnormal poos



Coccidiosis produces blood in faeces.



The hen who produced this specimen was an older bird who became very thirsty.
She is producing a large amount of watery urates the cause of which is unknown, but could possibly be a kidney problem.



The hen who produced this specimen was about 25 weeks old. She went off her food and ate so little she became underweight. She held her tail down and was tired. She may have had worms and/or egg peritonitis.


Worms


picture taken by smiler43                                                      picture taken by Lindeggs


Broody Poo


Thanks to ANHBUC for this picture

Broody's poos are huge and very smelly !


Sulphur yellow, foamy dropping can be a sign of Blackhead (Histamonosis) which is caused by a protozoan parasite infecting the gut.  It is however rare in back yard hens !
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Since you have to clean up anyway, just take a minute and check to make sure your hens are not having problems, especially in  areas where it is damp all the time. Throw down some sand on those wet spots - especially if it's been raining for a few days. And if you really can't stand the smell, just put a little dab of Vick's under your nose. To me, they are worth it!




4 comments :

  1. OMG!! I think careful study of this post should be required by all teenagers. The comments would be hilarious.

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    1. Especially from city kids that have just polished off a 20 piece Mc Nugget dinner...

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  2. Seeing this reminded me of a story sbout my daughterwhen she eas just a toddler. She had a habit of putting a chunck og dog food or a rock in her mouth, then come running saying num num num. One dad her dad n I were out in the yard with her and she had been playing, when her she came with her little jaw puffed out num numming away. I thought oh no must be a rock, and snatched her up to do finger sweep of her mouth....just to find a dried up wad of chicken poop :( I took a wet wash cloth and wiped out her mouth and called her Dr.... We watched her VERY closely for a few weeks, but thankfully she was ok.

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    1. Glad she was OK! It's bad enough when it's on my boots - wouldn't want to taste it at all! Pahtooey!!

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