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Diarrhea in Backyard Chickens: Causes, Treatment and Care

diarrhea in chickens

There are several different causes of diarrhea in chickens.

Some are pretty normal and will resolve themselves independently, yet others can be problematic.

Seeing it for the first time can be quite alarming!

In this article, we will look at the causes of diarrhea and explain what you can do to help your birds.

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Diarrhea in Backyard Chickens

Chicken Diarrhea Causes and Treatment

At this point, it would be helpful to have a visual aid of what is normal poop and what is not. This link provides a good primer on chicken poop.

Normal cecal droppings – a cecal dropping can cause great anxiety for a novice chicken keeper. After all, it looks nothing like a regular poop -it’s runny, foul-smelling, and a different color.

It is usual for a bird to have several of these cecal droppings daily. No treatment is required, except perhaps an air freshener!

However, if you have Diarrhea, then keep reading! Below we’ve listed the most common causes of diarrhea and how to treat each one.

Cause: Overindulgence (Excess Food)

Like humans who have overeaten, chickens can be guilty of devouring a good thing. They might find their way into your fresh salad bed and reduce the lettuce to stubs. The price of overindulgence? Diarrhea.

Simple, supportive treatment is required. Diarrhea should stop of its’ own accord after 24-36 hours. Ensure they have access to clean, fresh water with added vitamins and electrolytes.

Cause: Heat Stress

On hot days hens will drink much more water than usual; sometimes, up to 4 cups of water! That is a lot of fluid, and in conjunction with a decreased appetite because of the heat, your hen will likely develop diarrhea.

Treatment is relatively simple and easy. Ensure she has access to cool, clean fresh water with added vitamins and electrolytes. She also needs to be put somewhere cool. More on that here.

Standing her in cold water will help to bring her temperature down. A fan blowing cool air and providing sufficient shade will help her tremendously.

You can encourage her to eat by making a feed mash (mix regular feed with water until you have a mashed potato consistency) with cool water. That way, she will eat and get water too.

Cause: Antibiotics

If your hen takes antibiotics for any infection, she will likely get diarrhea. Antibiotics kill off the good bacteria and the bad to deplete the gut of good bacteria.

Ensure she has enough water with vitamins and electrolytes and good quality feed.

You can give them probiotics to help restore the good bacteria in the gut. Although they cannot process dairy products well, a small amount of yogurt will allow, like Rooster Booster or a similar additive that contains vitamins, electrolytes, and lactobacillus acidophilus gut health.

Cause: Worms

A massive overload of intestinal worms can cause gut damage and diarrhea. A sure way to find out is to take a fecal sample to your veterinarian – they should be able to perform this simple test quickly without too much financial pain.

If they do have worms, you will need to treat them all. There are several different worming medications on the market; choose one and follow the instructions carefully.

There is usually an egg withdrawal period during which you cannot eat or sell eggs from the treated hens. Withdrawal time will vary with treatments.

Cause: Coccidiosis

This mainly affects chicks under 10 weeks, although in severe cases, it can affect adult chickens, especially ex-battery hens that have lived in wire cages.

Since they have had no exposure to poop, they have no resistance to the coccidia.

It is caused by a parasite that affects the intestinal lining and integrity of the gut. It impairs the ability to absorb nutrition, causing weight loss. Anemia can be severe from bloody diarrhea. Coccidiosis needs prompt treatment with a coccidiostat, or the affected chicks will likely die. You should consult a veterinarian if at all possible. You can buy chick feed with added coccidiostat at the feed store.

Treatment will also include clean food and water with added probiotics and electrolytes. The brooder area should be kept scrupulously clean to avoid re-infection of the chicks.

We cover this in more detail in our parasite guide here.

Cause: Infectious Coryza

This is caused by bacteria that infect the upper airways of the bird. For an in-depth look at this disease, please look at our recent article.

You can treat the disease with the appropriate antibiotics, so you need to consult with a veterinarian. It is spread from bird to bird. You should pay great attention to cleanliness in the coop and local environment.

You should isolate infected birds if at all possible. As above, antibiotics may cause diarrhea, so treat it accordingly.

Cause: Too Much Protein

Kidney failure in chickens is becoming more prevalent because they live longer these days.

It can be caused by a diet too high in calcium, low phosphorus, decreased water intake, or viral.

Signs are dehydration, pale combs, depression, and emaciation with loss of muscle mass, diarrhea. You should seek veterinary advice about restricting dietary intake for your hen.

Cause: Toxic Ingestion

Hens are curious about most things, which can get them into trouble. While poisoning is relatively rare, it does occur.

They are susceptible to mycotoxins produced by damp bedding or moldy feed. They can also be vulnerable to a wide range of plants and other toxins.

Another thing to note concerning poisons. If you use your compost heap as a ‘burial site’ for small creatures, make sure the carcass is buried deeply.

Botulism can be produced by rotting carcasses and deadly to your hens.

Since it is usually hard to know exactly what they have eaten, you can try monitoring them closely. If their condition worsens, seek veterinary help.

Cause: Egg Yolk Peritonitis and Prolapsed Vents

Egg yolk peritonitis – sadly, this is commonly fatal.

It is caused by a malfunction in transferring an egg from the ovary to the infundibulum. The yolk becomes internalized and can quickly become infected; any diarrhea produced will look like egg yolk.

This usually leads to peritonitis and septicemia, so veterinary intervention is vital to give your hen a chance.

Prolapsed vent – this can be pretty noticeable.

The vent can be pushed out of the body and become a prolapse. It can be caused by an overly large egg, among other things. This is an emergency and needs to be dealt with promptly.

The hen will need to be separated from the flock since they will likely cannibalize her.

Please see our article for more details on vent prolapse.

Cause: Viruses

Numerous viruses affect chickens. They range from simple sniffles and diarrhea, which can last a few days, or range up to Marek’s disease and fowl cholera.

A list of known viruses with diarrhea symptoms is:

  • Infectious bronchitis
  • Marek’s disease
  • Lymphoid leukosis
  • Fowl cholera
  • Avian tuberculosis
  • Exotic Newcastle disease

We will be covering each of these viruses in-depth in future articles.

Chicken Diarrhea Treatment Checklist

As you can see, there are many causes of diarrhea, some short-lived and easily rectified, others more prolonged in treatment and some deadly.

When you notice your hen has diarrhea, the first question is: how does she look? If she seems well and is eating and drinking usually, you can monitor her from a distance.

Take a look at what is going on environmentally – is it hot and humid out? Has your spinach bed been eaten?  These types of things give you clues as to possible causes.

If she looks poorly, isolate her in a chicken hospital and figures out what it could be. Go down through the list of causes and see if you can pinpoint something. Oversee her. If there is no improvement within a day or so, the veterinarian is the next stop.

If you’re uncertain, read our how-to-do chicken health check guide.

Diarrhea depletes the body of water and much-needed electrolytes – all of which are needed for a healthy bird.

Be sure to replace both of these by using a vitamin/electrolyte supplement in the water. If antibiotics cause diarrhea, try adding a probiotic supplement to help the gut recover its’ normal good bacteria.

You can also try making a mash from the regular feed, mixed with enhanced water and perhaps a teaspoon of natural yogurt.

Our Choice for All-In-One Automatic Chicken Coop Door

Happy Coop Door

  • Works Rain or Shine, so you don’t have to let them out in inclement weather.
  • Go ahead and get those extra hours of sleep or go on vacation. Our door has you covered.
  • Protect your Chickens from Predators with our self-locking feature

Our Choice of Treats for Our Chickens

Happy Grubs: More Calcium Than Mealworms

  • Increase Egg Production
  • Stronger Egg Shells
  • Healthy Feathers

Diarrhea in Chickens: Closing Points

I don’t know about you, but I found all that very interesting!

A word of restraint here, though, if your hen develops diarrhea, she is not likely to have something nasty like the Newcastle Disease or Tuberculosis!

Go through our checklist and see if you can fit signs and symptoms with what’s happening to your hens.

Even if you can’t figure it out, all the information you can gather may help your veterinarian put the pieces together.

Diarrhea in hens is something we all will deal with eventually. Hopefully, it will be a brief episode caused by a passing virus, but if not, you will be able to use this article to guide you through the event.

Diarrhea in Backyard Chickens

 

 

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21 thoughts on “Diarrhea in Backyard Chickens: Causes, Treatment and Care

    1. You can make your own Kristine, or buy a pre-made one.
      Pre-made is generally in liquid form 🙂

  1. Thanks Claire
    The visual of “normal” poops was very useful (although a bit offputting just after lunch!!)
    I thought one of my ladies was having “problems” but what she produced appears the “normal” pix. She also is not off colour at alll. Thanks for the reassurance!!
    Bravo as always!
    Lynn

  2. Thanks Claire, I really enjoy reading your blog posts and learn a lot from them which really helps the end users (our flock) 10 happy spoiled chickens and 3 India Runner ducks. If any reader has an answer for why our duck hens are laying eggs in the pond while there are two uptown nesting boxes right there I would appreciate any feedback. Thanks………..Randy

    1. I read somewhere you should keep them up till around 10am and the should lay in the boxes because they are not like chickens they lay there eeg where ever they are when it’s time. They lay early in the morning.
      You and watch and see what time they lay and let them out afterwards

  3. To keep diarrhea at bay, I sprinkle some apple cider vinegar in when I fill their water bucket, every few days

  4. Thanks for the great advice on the different types of diarrheas, getting check list together I enjoy the Happy Chicken Coop news letter
    Lizzy

  5. great article. I’m a new chicken mom and I did read up quite a bit first so I knew about the cecal poops, but I can see how they would freak you out if you didn’t know. Thanks

  6. How I can cure the watery droppings of chicken. Is salt+sugar solution is good for treatment?
    Can we give garlic cloves to hen to treat motions.

    1. Do you have any clues as to why they would be watery? Whats the temperature like in your region?

  7. My chicks are under a week old. I know one had watery droppings until I removed poop stuck to it, but now all my chicks are having really water brown poop. This is my first time keeping chicks please help. The temperature is about 90-95 degrees Fahrenheit, they have plenty of clean water, and have been eating their food. I just introduced supplementary grit. I’ve keep their food topped off. If I limit their food, how much do I give them? (4 chicks, egg layers)

  8. My 9 month old pullet has wry neck, we have been treating it for a week now and we are starting to see improvement. However, she has also started having green diarrhea day 3 of the wry neck treatment. I was thinking maybe it was all the different vitamins I have been adding in to her food, so I backed off on so many vitamins. I was having to help her eat and drink, the drinking wasn’t going so well, she wasn’t drinking very much but that has increased since she is able to hold her neck up more. But I can tell she has lost weight and her comb is getting paler. I have added nutri drench in with her food and vitamins, and she has water with added electrolytes and probiotics. What else can I do?

  9. My 6 month old silkie rooster past away today. He was fine and then I notice him not really coming out and i hadnt heard him all weekend. He was just sitting in his coop and had diharrea. I brought him in cleaned his vent and looked him over and he looked fine, feet, eyes, no mites or lice, no worms in the poop. Poop was watery, yellow and white with some seeds from 5 grain scratch snack that morning that I just bought from TSC. He wasnt eating or drinking unless I forced him. I gave him chick electrolyts and feed mixed, then within a day he was dead. Any thoughts?

  10. Can a chicken doe from diarrhea? Their butts will get super yucky and then a week or so later she dies. I am new to this and not sure what I am doing wrong. They free range, have food 24/7 pellets and scratch, and fresh water.

  11. Ive lost 7 hens in 3 months. They all have greenish diarrhoea. Thought was cocidosis from pigeons landing on ground and pooping , treated but still happening. Found exact picture of their poop on here. Its Clostridium perfringens . And i give them all scraps including meat from dinners. Its passed on through the meats. I need antibiotics and to stop giving them meats only veg and lettuce.

  12. I have just 1 Plymouth Rock hen in the flock of 6 hens and one rooster. She has had diahorrea for weeks now, however, it isn’t spreading amongst the flock. I have treated for worms but it has made no difference. She is healthy, laying eggs, and seems happy enough. Any suggestions how I could help her?

  13. My vet said don’t feed my baby chickens well they are 2 years old now and I still refer to them as baby chickens. Anyway vet said don’t feed them anything that is not in their natural diet.
    They are all beautiful and perfectly healthy

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