From the time in memorial, poultry farmers make use of the color and texture of chickens poop, or droppings to identify some abnormalities/diseases in their local chickens.

However, these abnormalities may or may not be a sign of infection or diseases, but in the majority of cases indicate a sign of one or two diseases. Other factors that may change the color of chickens poop include diet, stress, brooding, weather condition, poison, etc, and in this case, the color changes may not last for more than two days.  

On the other hand, they are some diseases that cause watery whitish, greenish, yellowish, brownish, or even bloody stain in a chickens poop, which are generally referred to as diarrhea, and can have a 5% - 80% mortality depending on the pathogenicity of the disease-causing organism.

Chicken suffering from diarrhea

The problem most farmers face is how to identify the causes of various poop color in chicken and which medication to use. 

I pledge to you, by the end of this post you should be able to give the right medications to your chickens having diarrhea and answer the following  questions

• What does bloody chicken poop mean?
• What causes bloody chicken poop?
• Why green stool in chicken?
• What is the cause of green white diarrhea?

Let get down to business!

For easy decision making, I will classify these diseases into three categories to narrow down our options, and for easy diagnoses and medication.

Category 1: 

This group of diseases is mainly bacterial infections (Samonella) or internal parasites (various worms), and with diarrhea as one of their primary symptoms- that is if the right medication could stop diarrhea, there is a high chance that the chicken will recover fully. 

The color of diarrhea could range from watery white, brown, green, or bloody stained poop. 

These diseases can be cured and the diarrhea ( watery colored poop) disappeared if given the right medication and treatment, which I am going to suggest for you in this post. 

Examples of such diseases include Fowl typhoid and cholera, Coccidiosis, Infectious coryza, and internal parasites ( various worms).

Category 2: 

This group of diseases is mainly viral infection that cannot be treated even when diarrhea may stop because in this case, the diarrhea is just a secondary symptom resulting from an opportunistic disease usually bacterial.

Here, the watery poop or diarrhea may stop when you give the affected chicken some medication, but will not cure the ailment. The possible treatment is isolating the sick chickens and vaccinating the rest of the flock while  observing bio-security measures

 

Drained and weak chicken having diarrhea

An example of such a case is in Newcastle disease that causes greenish poop. Antibiotics can be given to the chicken but will not treat the viral disease, knowing this will save you a lot of stress and expenses. Example of such diseases which are common in the tropics are Newcastle disease, Avian flu, Infectious bursal disease, IBD ( Gumboro), and Marek disease.

Also read:  How to hatch chicks naturally at your backyard farm

Category 3: 

These are non-disease causing diarrhea in chicken, and they don’t normally last for long. Medication is not always required in most cases. Examples include diet, weather conditions, stress, poison, brooding, etc. Except for poison, chicken can easily recover from diarrhea.

Having understood that some of these diseases causing diarrhea are curable some are not but manageable, and while some are less serious and require little or no attention, next is to group the disease based on their color manifestation on chickens’ poop, with their suggested treatment.

For proper diagnoses, we have to differentiate normal chicken poop from diarrhea chicken poop

What does a normal chicken poop look like?

Firm normal chicken poop

The fact about normal chicken poop is that there is no fixed color. It all depends on the diet and state of chicken’s health. However, the ash poop with the white cap is generally assumed to be the normal chicken poop, several shades of color can be normal 

 Disease-Causing Greenish Chicken poop

Greenish poop and bent neck of chicken suffering from Newcastle disease

The suspected disease includes Newcastle disease, Avian flu, and Marek disease. These are all viral diseases and there is no treatment for them, even when the greenish poop stops. The best thing to do is to isolate affected chicken(s) and vaccinate healthy chickens with the regional poultry vaccination schedule. Practice proper bio-security measures.

Worms are another suspect that can cause greenish poop. The commonest worm is with roundworm, causing a depression in growth and poor appearance.

Fowl cholera also has this sign and can be deadly to chicken. It can have 80% to 90% mortality during an outbreak.

Suggested Treatment: 

The best treatment for the viral diseases is immunization or vaccination and bio-security. You can give antibiotics for opportunistic infections, usually bacteria.

For worm, You may see some dead worm in the poop of affected chickens. Give them Piperazine-for roundworm only, Albendazole and Ivermectin for both round, capillaria, and cecal worms. Consult your veterinarian for prescriptions and withdrawal time.

in case the case of Fowl cholera, use tetracycline, sulfadimethoxine, or sulfamethazine. Ensure you destroy all dead and sick birds and disinfect houses and equipment

Also read: 8 mistakes you must avoid if you want to succeed in poultry farming

Disease-causing greenish-yellow / yellow Foamy Chicken Poop

The foamy yellow is mostly seen at the early stage of Coccidiosis. You should administer any anti-Cossidiostat to nip it at the bud.

It is also a primary symptom in Fowl typhoid. You will notice that the chicken becomes sleepy, loses its appetite but is very thirsty, and stand in a dark corner, with its head close to its body.

The feathers become ruffled, and the comb and wattles become usually pale and bloodless. The commonest symptom is the passing of liquid poop which is greenish-yellow.

It can also be caused by internal worm infestation

Suggested Treatment:  

For Coccidiosis give drugs like Amprolium, Embazine Forte, Amprococ. For Internal worms, use Ivermectin.  

Fowl typhoid use antibiotics like Amoxycillin sulfaquinoxaline, fluoroquinolones, or tetracycline. Consult your veterinarian for prescriptions and withdrawal time

Disease-causing bloody chicken poop

Bloody poop of chicken suffering from Coccidiosis

Bloody poop can be seen as watery chicken poop without any solid, and sometimes with the normal solid grey matter. Bloody poop is a symptom of Coccidiosis and the amount of blood depends on the severity of the condition. It is usually spread through infected poops

Suggested Treatment: 

Use drugs like Amprolium, Embazine Forte, Amprococ, or Tutrazuril. Disinfect the house, and avoid overcrowding and keep the chickens in a clean condition as possible.

Disease-Causing Runny Chicken Poop

This is mainly a result of diet content. Chickens will excrete this kind of poop a few times a day. In this case, 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 urgently.

Suggested Treatment:

Use strong antibiotics like oxytetracycline erythromycin, or gentatylo,  

Disease-causing whitish chicken poop

Whitish chicken poop

This can either be internal worms or Infectious Bursal Disease(IBD) also known as Gumboro. Sometimes this is also a sign of Fowl cholera which is also dreaded by farmers.  

Suggested Treatment: 

Use Ivermectin for a worm, but Gumboro should be prevented with Gumboro vaccine. For Fowl cholera, use tetracycline, sulfadimethoxine, or sulfamethazine.  

Clear or watery chicken poop

 Normally, this can be a sign that your chickens have been stressed. It could be as a result of transportation, heat, debeaking, low feeding, etc. Where watery chicken poop is a concern is when it is an indication of infectious bronchitis.

Suggested Treatment:

Use anti-stress or multivitamins to revive your chickens. You should not have this problem if their general condition is well taken care of...

Black chicken poop

Black chicken poop

This is usually diet-related, based on what the chicken has eaten, but if you are sure the chicken has not eaten anything else, you might want to suspect internal bleeding.

It could also be a result of a high level of protein in your chicken feed. Brooding also causes black poop in brooding chickens that haven’t eaten for some time. They release this large terrestrial smelly black poop, but not as black as when it is internal bleeding.

Suggested Treatment:

For internal breeding, only a veterinary can help in this case, except when it is not an option you can give the bird vitamin and a lot of water. For high protein content in a feed, tweak your feed formula accordingly.

Note: This post cannot be substituted for the professional advice of a veterinarian. Ensure to visit your Vet if possible. For a more in-depth understanding and remedy of poultry disease, I found this book I got from amazon so resourceful, you can check it here

Remember: Medicines have limited value; they can only help to a small extent and should never take the place of sanitary measures. Take good care of your chickens, their food and their environment is the best defense against diseases and parasites.

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