blood in poo?

[raine]

Hi all, just been to check the girs and clean them out. Most of the poo looked great (if you know what I mean) but it looked as if there was blood in some. Not sure if it actually was but it was red and actually looked a bit like raw mince mixed in with the poo. I have to go to work now but any ideas?

[Eyren]

Sometimes hens pass bits of their reproductive tissue that have been sloughed off (a bit like us having a period) and they look a bit like bits of rubbery meat. Could have been something like that, but I would just keep a close eye on them for now...

[KimT]

Have you given them any tomatoes or red fruit? That’s one that can catch you out.

[raine]

No red tomatoes or fruit so i think it might be the membrane thing.I'll keep an eye just in case.
thanks

[Suechooks]

No red tomatoes or fruit so i think it might be the membrane thing.I'll keep an eye just in case.
thanks

The "membrane thing" tends to manifest as a cream coloured rubbery type thing known I'm told as a "lash". (See thread "Strange object in nest box".
Are they ex-batts?
Blood in poo in ex-batts is not good. Might be worth a course of antibiotics ( my vet prescribes Baytril). One of mine did this for a while - sadly no longer here. She did perk up for a while on Baytril and had a good few months after the initial blood.
Sorry to sound negative but i think you do need to watch and act as soon as you can just in case.
If they are young hens it could be coccidiosis - that's usually in quite young birds though as the growers food contains a medication to prevent this.

[raine]

They are ex-batts but i don't know which one it is. It's the first time i've noticed anything so I'll keep a good eye on it. Could it be coccidiosis if they are ex-batts- I thought they were injected against most things. If it is, can I still eat eggs?

[Suechooks]

They are ex-batts but i don't know which one it is. It's the first time i've noticed anything so I'll keep a good eye on it. Could it be coccidiosis if they are ex-batts- I thought they were injected against most things. If it is, can I still eat eggs?

Not likely to be coccidiosis - I just couldn't remember if yours were ex-batts so put that idea in as an alternative. If one of them starts to look unwell - hunched up, sitting on her own, eyes shut etc then that's likely to be the one. It was a while before I could identify which one. Blood in poo is nearly always a serious problem. Hope things turn out ok.

[raine]

Thanks-I'm not even sure if it is blood -it just looked like a couple of bits of red/raw meat-like mince. At the moment they are all eating/drinking fine so I'll be anxiously waiting for tomorrow. Thanks for the advice and I'll keep you updated.

[Flummery]

If it's more meaty looking it could be a bit of spare matter from inside - like a lash. It will make the bird a bit off for a few days and then they usually pick up. Hope so!

[raine]

All the birds are looking fine today -all eating, drinking, scratching and pooing fine! So I'll keep my fingers crossed.

[Suechooks]

Great Raine! Everything crossed for you!

[KimT]

That is good news.