The Morning Droppings

Six o'clock. The flock is barely waking up. And on the litter, the night has left its report.

These fresh droppings, no one has crushed them yet. I will show you how to read them, in a precise order.

In chickens, everything comes out through the same orifice, the cloaca. The dark part comes from the intestine. The white on top is urine.

A normal dropping is shaped. It retains its form. Keep this image in mind. Everything else is compared to it.

First look, the texture. Shaped, all is well. Spread out like a puddle, you move on to the second look.

Second look, the moisture around the dropping. A dropping that is too wet always ends up in the litter.

Above twenty-one degrees, it drinks six to seven percent more per degree. And the water that goes in must come out properly.

Too wet? Think about the heat, the salt in the feed, or an irritated intestine.

Third look, the whole feed grains. They come out almost as they went in.

Two possibilities. A grind that is too coarse, or a transit that is too fast, often with a wet dropping.

Pour a bit of your feed into your hand. Big chunks of corn? The grinding needs to be reviewed.

Fourth look, the colour. Liquid and greenish, or whitish, in several birds?

There, it is no longer a question of feed. Especially if birds are huddled together, their feathers fluffed up.

Several serious diseases start like this. You take note, and you call the veterinarian the same day.

Fifth look, blood or mucus. Red, or a sticky mucus, in several droppings.

This sign suggests coccidiosis, an intestinal parasite. Think about it, without concluding. The veterinarian can check.

Between the parasite ingested in the litter and its exit, it takes four to seven days. The problem started earlier.

Now, a false alarm to know. A very dark and sticky dropping, from time to time?

It comes from the caeca, two fermentation pouches. They empty separately. Nothing to panic about.

A single dropping proves nothing. Repetition does. Every morning, five words in the book, one for each look.

What comes from the heat, the water or the feed, you correct. An isolated sign, you monitor.

Blood, deaths or culled birds? The veterinarian. And no product before their advice.

And at your place, does the first look in the morning go to the ground, or to the feeders?

Your veterinarian first. Then send your notes to 05 44 83 27 79 on WhatsApp, to get guidance. Flock record book provided.

Your chicks can be ordered at 07 07 72 78 67. Subscribe, the next part talks about increasing deaths.

From egg to chick, everything happens with us, in Agnibilékrou. With Nextekci, every customer is a satisfied poultry farmer.