Healthy poop, healthy birds

There’s a lot to learn from looking at what comes out of the back end of poultry after digestion is complete. University of Maryland Eastern Shore Poultry Specialist Jennifer Timmons, Ph.D., shared insight to guide poultry owners on what to look for in droppings to maintain good flock health.

Chickens’ digestive tracts are designed to handle small meals throughout the day. Ideally, food is always available. After swallowing, food travels through the bird’s esophagus to the rest of the digestive system. The crop, located along the esophagus, stores food before moving it to the proventriculus – the bird’s true stomach. Here, hydrochloric acid breaks food down into smaller particles.

Undigested food moves back and forth from the proventriculus to the ventriculus (or gizzard), a muscular organ that helps break food into smaller particles with the help of grit. Smaller food particles then move into the small intestines where nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream and distributed throughout the body.

At the end of the digestive system are two cecal pouches where anaerobic fermentation of carbohydrates takes place. Nutrients that are not used by the bird are excreted via the cloaca (or vent), and these waste nutrients, aka feces or droppings, can indicate bird health.

Knowing the difference between healthy and unhealthy droppings is one of the best ways to catch illness early and maintain healthy birds. Healthy droppings are somewhat solid and vary in color from dark brown to tan to green with white uric acid crystals on top. Uric acid is the result of normal digestion and helps to eliminate excess protein in the bird’s diet.

Chickens typically drop feces about 12 times a day. Size and consistency vary by bird age and size.

Birds also excrete cecal droppings several times a day. Cecal droppings have a pastier appearance and range in color from white to dark brown.

Several factors can change the appearance of poultry droppings, including age and disease. Older healthy birds may excrete undigested food in droppings or produce lighter tan cecal droppings.

Two indicators of abnormal droppings include the appearance of undigested feed or blood. Excessively loose and liquid droppings may indicate illness, but sudden diet changes can also result in wet droppings. Environmental causes such as stress or a rapid diet change often lead to liquid droppings. Remember that not all abnormal droppings are the result of a disease or infectious process.

A non-infectious process might show up as feces tinged with orange or red due to sloughing of the intestinal wall. This may occur in birds that have been off feed for an extended period. An off-feed situation can happen in a large house as the result of an automatic feeder breakdown. In a smaller flock, chickens under social stress, often due to overpopulation, may go off feed. Additionally, chickens won’t eat if they are thirsty, so lack of appetite can be due to insufficient or no water.

Coccidiosis is somewhat common and typically affects younger birds (usually those under 10 weeks of age). This illness is due to the protozoan parasite Eimeria in the gut that results in decreased feed efficiency and absorption if left untreated. Feces appear bloody and/or watery and may contain undigested feed. Birds appear droopy and lethargic, lose weight, have a smaller comb and are reluctant to consume feed.

Since coccidiosis is transmitted through feces, most poultry owners treat the entire flock with a coccidiostat product. Chicks can be vaccinated to prevent coccidiosis. Coccidiosis is species-specific and isn’t transmitted to other livestock species on the same farm.

Internal parasites are most often roundworms, which aren’t usually obvious in droppings unless the infection is excessive. The only approved product for treating roundworms in poultry is fenbendazole. Be sure to use products approved for poultry and follow labeled instructions for deworming.

Turkeys with yellow feces may have blackhead disease (histomoniasis). This is a protozoal disease that occurs more often in turkeys than chickens. Affected birds lose weight and have droopy heads, closed eyes and ruffled feathers. Chickens may develop clinical signs then recover, but turkeys usually die from the infection. For this reason, it’s best to separate chickens from turkeys. Suspected histomoniasis in a chicken or turkey flock warrants veterinary intervention.

Broody hens sometimes produce abnormal droppings. These hens sit on eggs and don’t leave the nest to relieve themselves. When they do leave, they often deposit feces in large piles that are brown and foul-smelling.

Sometimes feces stick to the bird and don’t make it to the ground. A bird with a messy vent might be suffering from cloacitis, sometimes referred to as vent gleet. This is an inflamed cloaca, with a characteristic smelly, white/yellow discharge from the vent area that sticks to the feathers. The bird will likely appear sick and bloated, and egg-laying is decreased.

Vent gleet is an indication that the digestive tract isn’t functioning properly and can have several causes, including stress, parasites, yeast overgrowth or bacteria. Both the cause and resulting messy rear end should be treated as soon as possible.

In a small flock, isolate sick birds if possible. Determine the cause of illness and treat accordingly. Always keep new birds separate from any existing birds.

Healthy poultry droppings begin with good management and nutrition. Management includes keeping housing and equipment clean, with ventilation to keep the housing area dry and prevent moisture buildup. Waterers should be easy for birds to access and kept clean and in good working order. Good rations from reputable companies supply necessary nutrients and many contain probiotics to help promote gut health.

by Sally Colby