It is important for a chicken owner to have a background idea of the reason behind poop colors and take immediate action if needed. Let us explore the diverse colors and fatal and non-fatal causes behind that.
- Greenish Droppings
Could possibly be: internal worms, Marek’s disease, or avian flu.
More likely cause: high diet in greens, weeds, grasses, and vegetables.
Healthy green poop due to frequent free-ranging and leafy green treats from the garden.
- Yellowish Droppings
Could possibly be: coccidiosis, foul typhoid, internal worms, or kidney malfunction.
More likely cause: eating an abundance of certain foods such as forsythia blossoms, strawberries, or corn.
- Black Droppings
Could possibly be: internal bleeding.
More likely cause: eating charcoal, blackberries, or other dark purple or blue foods.
- Runny Brown Droppings
Could possibly be: ecoli or infectious bronchitis.
More likely cause: eating foods high in liquid content, cercal poop (usually stickier, more pudding-like consistency that occurs once out of every 7-8 times a hen poops –perfectly normal).
- White or Clear Runny Droppings
Could possibly be: vent gleet, kidney damage from a high protein diet, stress, or internal disease.
More likely cause: greater than normal water intake (such as in the summer) or drinking lots of water-laden treats such as watermelon, celery, or cucumbers.
- Large Piles Of Brown Droppings
When a hen is sitting on eggs, i.e. “broody”, instead of pooping the dozen or so times she normally would each day, she holds it and waits, only leaving her nest several times a day.
As a result, she will leave a huge pile of (generally) smelly chicken poop. This broody poop is completely normal.
- Teal Droppings
More likely cause: heavy diet of red cabbage, beets, and beet tops. Normal teal droppings after eating purple cabbage. Perfectly normal greenish-teal duck droppings.
- Orange Or Red Droppings
Could possibly be: coccidiosis or lead poisoning.
More likely cause: Sloughing off of the intestinal lining. The orange strands or particles are often mistaken for blood. This is entirely normal to find in the droppings occasionally. Intestinal lining shed in chick’s droppings, no cause for alarm.
Droppings with sloughed-off intestinal lining in an adult hen.
So as you can see, “normal”, chicken droppings come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. Generally, it’s nothing to worry about if they vary from time to time, especially if you can pinpoint the reason. However, there is one time when you should be alarmed and that is of you definitely see blood in the droppings. Droppings from a chicken with a confirmed case of coccidiosis.
Note: True bloody droppings especially I accompanied by a hunch over or fluffed-up hen could signal coccidiosis, a serious disease of the intestine. If you suspect coccidiosis, please bring a fecal sample to your vet ASAP to have it diagnosed and begin the suggested treatment.
