My 5-day-old chicks have long, stringy poop. What could be wrong?

It's possible the chick is getting picked on or has parasites that are causing the feather loss and runny stool. A medicated feed, deworming, and treating for any external parasites is a good idea. If the other chicks are pecking at it, removing it to a hospital cage for a few days and then reintroducing it to the flock is best to allow for time to recover and heal. I would also make sure there is a heat lamp provided until the feathers have come in.

Thanks for reaching out about your chick and including photos. The lesions appear like vesicles and a bacterial or viral etiology would be high on the list. A veterinary visit should be scheduled to help with an assessment and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan. This chick should b e separated from others because viral disease are possibly contagious to other birds. Providing heat support in the 80-85 F range can give some aid. Cleaning/dabbing the lesions with a dilute povidine/betadyne solution might help but does not replace a veterinary visit. Wash hands well after handling to prevent cross contamination. Good luck.

Unfortunately, those are symptoms that need to be seen in person by a vet, because they are not possible to diagnose over the internet. If multiple of your birds are having loose stools and are housed together, I would be concerned there is something going on such as a contagious illness, parasites, nutritional issue, or unclean environment. Treating for parasites and making sure all birds have access to fresh food and water and a clean environment may help. Separating out any sick birds until they recover may also help. If the problem continues, your bird(s) worsen, or they do not improve with home treatment, then you will need to find a vet in your area that can take a look at them and determine the problem.

This can be caused by parasites, dietary indiscretion or poor diet. Submit a stool sample to your veterinarian to diagnose intestinal parasites. Treat if indicated. Discontinue feeding any fruits or vegetables for now. Feed only timothy hay and a small amount of pellets daily. Once the stool is normal, you can gradually offer tiny bits of vegetables. Limit fruit though to prevent diarrhea or obesity.

Submit a sample to your veterinarian to diagnose parasites or bacterial/fungal overgrowth. Discontinue feeding fruits and vegetables until the stool is normal, then introduce one at a time slowly. Clean and sanitize the cage, bowls, toys and perches. Discard anything that cannot be sanitized. Use paper towels on the cage bottom and change them daily until his droppings are normal. Provide plenty of fresh, clean water. Keep him warm and as stress free as possible. If he develops lethargy, loss of appetite or if the droppings don't begin to firm up in the next 24 hours, have him examined by your vet or an experienced avian vet.

She could have a parasite or an infection causing the problem. The best thing would be to have her examined by a vet to determine the exact cause. Your vet can test a stool sample for parasites and then prescribe medications to treat the diarrhea. She may need to a dewormer, antibiotic, or other medications. You could also add a probiotic to her diet and feed a bland diet of boiled chicken and white rice for a few days and see if that helps.

This is called "pasty butt". You need to soak the chick's butt in luke warm running water until the poop is soft and then remove it. Work fast to keep the chick from getting cold and do this in a warm room. Do not pull the feces off, but gently "coax" them off, so you will not teat the chick's skin. Towel dry the chick, then use a hair dryer on low setting to completely dry the downy feathers. if it happen again you can put vaseline on the down around the vent so the feces do not stick to it. Causes of pasty butt are stress, being cold, overheating, sometimes viral or bacterial infections and improper diet which cause diarrhea. Prevention: Maintain proper brooder temperature Add Probiotics to the chicks' drinking water Do not offer treats, feed starter feed If pasty butt is recurrent, offer some scrambled eggs mixed into the starter feed and if that clears things up change brands of feed.