I have a few questions about poop and poop related stuff....I know, how nice!! First of all, what is the white stuff that is in poop? My four 20 week old pullets tend to have diarreah every now and then...probably a case of it everyday between the four. What is wrong? They eat layers mash/pellets, scratch grain, and whatever they scratch up around the yard. Other than that they are extremely healthy....one layed her first egg yesterday!! On my two cornish X pullets, the poop and dirt seem to stick in clumps on the rearend feathers. I wash it off every other week, and it doesn't seem to be causing any problems for them(healthy as ever). I have read here that people have had this problem in chicks, but my pullets (20 weeks) only developed the problem when they were about 13 weeks old or a little earlier. None of my other pullets or hens have this problem, just the cornish x. What can I do to stop it? ok, off the poop subject....on the same cornish x pullets, they have dirt stained feathers. not all of then just the chest and the tips of the wings. I have washed them (to get the clumps of poop off their butts), and the other feathers still stay the color of light coffee. I just want them lookin' pretty!
ANY help is much appreciated. THANKS

Daniel,
I'm fairly new to this chicken stuff myself - - but in all of my reading and fairly new experience, the intent of the cornish cross breed is to be a meat bird - - and all that I have read indicates that you want them "dressed" and in the freezer by about 8 weeks. They aren't clever enough to dust bathe like most breeds. Cleaning them yourself is about the only way that I have seen to keep them fairly clean - - until you are ready to dress them out for dinner. There are MANY other breeds that are very well kept chickens.

As for "the white stuff on their poop" - - chickens don't urinate and have a bm... their systems discharge the nitrates within their bowels so the "white stuff" IS their urine equivalent.

Hope this helps, and welcome to chickens!!

all chickens have a runny poop about every 10 to 20 poops. This poop has a special name, I read about it in a chicken bookbut I can't recall what it was. I't is normal. Abnormal would be to have runny poop all the time, that would be diahrea. Also, chickens can have runny poop because they have over indulged in greens, but that is ok also if they have a selection of food and it is their choice, it's like us eating too many green apples, you know what happens, no big deal. On the other hand should your chickens start looking listless and poor, you have a problem. They sound fine, don't over monitor their poop.

Our cornishX are the only ones in our flock with dirty/clumpy behinds also! But, unlike what Newchickenmom posted, ours love to take dust baths and they do it everyday, all afternoon! Still, they are yucky looking and nothing we've tried has remedied this. We did try washing them off a couple of times too but it seemed to be an hour's worth of effort and then they had the clumps again a couple of days later (plus the rooster freaked and then the whole flock freaked in response and it took all afternoon for everyone to settle back down).

Not much help, I know, but just thought I'd say that I'm in the same boat and dust baths aren't making any difference. Can't figure it out!

Susie

Mine also love dustbaths, and like yours it doesn't help any. They'll just have to stay dirty till I get around to washing them!! It's good to know I'm not the only one :)