Diagnose Disease from the Color of Chicken Poop
Normally, the color of chicken poop is some shade of brown and white on top. What disease will cause the bloody, green, black, white poop?
1. White Chicken Poop
When the chicken poop is yellow-white or gray-white paste and not formed, it is generally possible that pullorum or fowl cholera has occurred. When pullorum occurs, sick chickens often discharge sticky, lime-like poop, which sticks to the chicken anus, resulting in difficulty in defecation. When fowl cholera occurs, sick chickens often have severe diarrhea and discharge gray-white poop. When chicken poop is white or yellow-white watery, mixed with white urate particles, it may be infectious bursal disease. It is also seen in chickens with no appetite, paralysis and uremia. In addition, inclusion body hepatitis, chicken paratyphoid fever, egg-laying syndrome, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, etc. can be seen pulling white watery loose poops. If there is milky white milk-like poop, watery, like milk poured on the ground, it is more common in mucosal congestion, mild enteritis or Vibrio hepatitis.
White Poop: Divided into “Normal Physiological Type” and “Pathological Type”, Need to Rule Out Metabolic or Liver-Gallbladder Problems
White poop is prone to misjudgment, so it is necessary to first distinguish between “normal white urate” and “abnormal white watery poop” — the white covering on the surface of healthy chicken poop is urate (a product of kidney metabolism), which is small in quantity and does not affect the main color of the poop; if the poop is completely white, loose, or lime-water-like, it is a pathological state.
| Poop Sample Characteristics | Possible Diseases | Core Pathological Causes | Accompanying Symptoms |
|---|---|---|---|
| White lime-water-like watery poop with no peculiar smell | Pullorum disease in chicks (Salmonella infection) | Salmonella infects the digestive tract of chicks, causing intestinal mucosal inflammation and increased secretions, making the poop white and watery | It mostly occurs in 1-2 week-old chicks, which huddle together, are afraid of cold, and have a high mortality rate; during dissection, white necrotic spots are found on the liver |
| White mucoid poop mixed with urate | Kidney diseases (e.g., renal infectious bronchitis) | Viruses (such as the renal strain of infectious bronchitis virus) damage the kidneys, leading to urate excretion disorders. The amount of urate in poop increases, making the poop white and mucoid | The chicken flock drinks more water and has diarrhea; during dissection, the kidneys are enlarged and have white urate deposits on the surface (“mottled kidneys”) |
| White watery poop with a fishy odor | Colibacillosis (septicemic type) | Escherichia coli infection causes intestinal inflammation, abnormal intestinal secretions, and may be accompanied by systemic infection | Poor mental state, messy feathers, and decreased egg production rate in adult chickens; some chickens have difficulty breathing (secondary airsacculitis) |
2. Bloody Chicken Poop
The most common cause of red poop in chickens is coccidiosis. Chicks before and after 1 month of age have bloody chicken poop, which is usually caused by cecal coccidiosis. Chicks can pull bloody chicken poop in the early stage of acute cecal hepatitis and can pull bloody chicken poop in the later stage of leukocytosis. Chickens recovering from coccidiosis, taeniasis, ascariasis and enteritis can also cause bloody chicken poop, and the poop is fleshy red, like rotten meat. In addition, inorganic or organic poisoning can also cause intestinal bleeding and bloody chicken poop. Necrotizing enteritis, Newcastle disease, mold corn poisoning, etc. can also cause blood in chicken poop. Among the above diseases, except for cecal coccidiosis, which often has bright bloody chicken poop, which is easy to identify, bloody chicken poop caused by other diseases or causes is mostly dark red in appearance and must be carefully observed. Under normal circumstances, the poop is dark red, black or tea-black, which is common in upper gastrointestinal bleeding, and the poop is red or bright red, which is more common in lower gastrointestinal bleeding.
Red/Dark Red Poop: Indicate Digestive Tract Bleeding, Be Alert to “Hemorrhagic Diseases”
The key judgment point for red poop is the “bleeding site” — the brighter the red color, the more posterior the bleeding site (e.g., the end of the intestine); the darker the color (dark red, blackish red), the more anterior the bleeding site (e.g., stomach, small intestine).
| Poop Sample Characteristics | Possible Diseases | Core Pathological Causes | Accompanying Symptoms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bright red mucoid poop with blood streaks | Coccidiosis (mainly cecal coccidiosis) | Cecal mucosa is parasitized by coccidian oocysts, causing mucosal damage and bleeding, and blood is directly excreted with poop | The chicken flock is listless, huddles together, has fluffy feathers, and has a high mortality rate (especially for chicks); during dissection, the cecum is swollen and contains blood clots |
| Dark red/sauce-colored poop mixed with mucus | Small intestinal coccidiosis/necrotic enteritis | Small intestinal mucosal bleeding (small intestinal coccidiosis) or intestinal mucosal necrosis and shedding (necrotic enteritis, mostly caused by Clostridium perfringens). The blood stays in the intestine for a long time, so the color darkens | Decreased feed intake, diarrhea, and the poop may have a fishy odor; the egg production rate of adult chickens decreases |
| Black tar-like poop (very rare) | Gastric ulcer/gizzard erosion | After gastric mucosal bleeding, the blood is converted into black ferrous sulfide under the action of gastric acid and excreted with poop | The chickens are emaciated and depressed, and may vomit blood-stained mucus in severe cases; it is mostly related to excessive mycotoxins (such as aflatoxins) in the feed |
Black Chicken Poop
It is a kind of bloody chicken poop. Because black chicken poop is often caused by bleeding in the front part of the digestive tract, such as the duodenum and small intestine, the appearance of poop is mostly black or tea-black, and it is occult blood. If the poop is rust-colored watery and mixed with urate, it is more common in the early stage of Newcastle disease poisoning and another serious gastrointestinal bleeding. In addition, gizzard erosion caused by rotting fish meal poisoning can also cause melena.
3. Green Chicken Poop
Green is due to the mixture of bile and intestinal shed tissue cells, the most common cause is Newcastle disease. Sick chickens generally pull sticky, foul-smelling green loose poop, and the poop is black and green, accompanied by symptoms such as depression, decreased appetite, and difficulty breathing. Later, other symptoms such as neurological symptoms and egg loss appear. In addition, fowl cholera and leukocytosis can also cause sick chickens to pull green chicken poop, colibacillosis, Marek’s disease and lymphoid leukemia, avian typhoid, chicken chlamydia, laryngotracheitis, etc. . If the chickens eat too much grass-meal feed, the discharged poop will also be green, but this kind of poop is dry and hard and can be easily distinguished from the green chicken poop of sick chickens.
Green Poop: A Typical Signal of “Systemic Infection”, Be Alert to Highly Pathogenic Diseases
Green poop is mostly caused by “unabsorbed bile” or “massive bacterial reproduction in the intestine”, and is common in systemic viral or bacterial infections, mostly acute and highly pathogenic diseases, which require emergency treatment.
| Poop Sample Characteristics | Possible Diseases | Core Pathological Causes | Accompanying Symptoms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emerald green watery poop, “sauce-like” | Highly pathogenic avian influenza | Avian influenza virus causes systemic septicemia, severe bleeding of the intestinal mucosa, and bile mixes with blood, making the poop emerald green | Acute death (mortality rate up to over 90%), purple and swollen combs and wattles, and bleeding on foot scales; the egg production rate of laying hens drops sharply |
| Green mucoid poop mixed with bubbles | Typhoid/paratyphoid (Salmonella infection) | Salmonella (e.g., Salmonella gallinarum) infects adult chickens, causing intestinal inflammation and abnormal bile secretion, making the poop green | The chicken flock is emaciated and anemic (pale combs and wattles); the mortality rate is low in chronic infection but the growth is slow; during dissection, the liver is enlarged and bronze-colored |
| Light green watery poop accompanied by respiratory symptoms | Infectious bronchitis (respiratory type) | While the virus infects the respiratory tract, it causes secondary intestinal dysfunction and abnormal bile excretion, making the poop light green | Coughing, sneezing, and wheezing; high mortality rate in chicks; decreased egg production rate and poor egg quality (such as soft-shelled eggs) in adult chickens |
4. Yellow Poop
Mostly Related to “Intestinal Infections” or “Abnormal Bile Metabolism”
For yellow poop, it is necessary to distinguish between “normal yellowish” and “abnormal yellow” — if the feed has a high corn content, healthy chicken poop may be light yellow; if the poop is dark yellow, loose, foamy, or mucoid, it indicates a pathological problem.
| Poop Sample Characteristics | Possible Diseases | Core Pathological Causes | Accompanying Symptoms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark yellow watery poop with foam | Fowl cholera (Pasteurella infection) | Pasteurella multocida infection causes acute intestinal inflammation, abnormal bile secretion, and increased gas production in the intestine | Acute type: sudden death, purple combs and wattles; chronic type: diarrhea, listlessness, and poop may contain blood |
| Yellow mucoid poop mixed with undigested feed | Indigestion/intestinal flora imbalance | Feed mildew, improper feed change, or stress (such as temperature fluctuations) lead to intestinal dysfunction and incomplete feed digestion | No obvious mortality rate, but the chicken flock grows slowly (chicks) and has unstable egg production rate (adult chickens) |
| Yellow-green watery poop with a fishy odor | Newcastle disease (viral) | Newcastle disease virus damages the digestive tract mucosa, causing intestinal bleeding and inflammation, and at the same time, abnormal bile secretion makes the poop yellow-green | The chicken flock is extremely depressed, has difficulty breathing, and shows neurological symptoms (such as neck twisting), with a high mortality rate; during dissection, bleeding of intestinal lymphoid follicles is observed |
Automatic poultry cage system prevent chicken disease
Precise Environmental Control
Respiratory and intestinal diseases (e.g., Newcastle disease, E. coli) in chickens often link to abnormal temperature, humidity, air quality, or lighting. Automated gear uses closed-loop control to stabilize conditions:
Temperature & Humidity: Sensors monitor real-time temperature (32-35°C for chicks, 20-25°C for adults) and link to heating/cooling tools; humidity stays 50%-60% via dehumidifiers/humidifiers to avoid mold or dry respiratory mucosa.
Ventilation: Negative/positive pressure systems adjust airflow by flock age (low for chicks, high for adults). CO₂ and NH₃ sensors boost ventilation when ammonia exceeds 20 ppm, cutting chronic respiratory diseases (e.g., mycoplasma).
Lighting: Automated systems set duration (16 hours for layers) and intensity by growth stage (brooding, laying), preventing issues from manual light errors (e.g., low egg production, weak immunity).
Automated Feeding & Water Supply
Moldy feed and dirty water spread salmonellosis and aspergillosis. Automated equipment ensures safety via source control + clean processes:
Feeding: Feeders (chain/screw type) dose by age to avoid residue mold; some monitor feed bin humidity (auto-dehumidify if high) and clean troughs regularly.
Water: Closed systems (nipple drinkers) keep water free from manure/dust. Built-in modules add probiotics/disinfectants (e.g., sodium hypochlorite) and flush pipes regularly to stop bacterial growth.
Automated Manure Cleaning & Disinfection
Chicken manure (with pathogens like avian flu virus, coccidia) pollutes easily when piled. Automated tools lower pathogen levels:
Manure Cleaning: Scrapers or tracked cleaners remove manure daily (no >24-hour pile) and send it outside via sealed pipes, reducing contact between chickens and manure.
Disinfection: Spray devices (e.g., ultrasonic atomizers) disinfect weekly or post-flock rotation (uses aldehydes, potassium persulfate). Some support “in-house disinfection” (controls droplet size to avoid chilling chickens).
Less Human Intervention
Frequent human entry brings external pathogens (e.g., vehicle/personnel-carried viruses). Automation cuts cross-infection:
Remote Control: Feeding, manure cleaning, and ventilation are monitored via apps—no need for humans to enter the house, reducing disinfection gaps.
Isolation & Flow: “All-in, all-out” models (with auto-transfer gear) keep flocks the same age; clean/dirty zones (separate feed/manure ports) further limit pathogen spread.
