ored feces (diarrhea) point to a
gastrointestinal tract insult. To fol
low is a more detailed look at each
of the suspect factors that can con
tribute to the problem of wet pits/
wet droppings, and stained shells.
House Factors
Physical factors in the design,
placement and function of the
house and ‘equipment can result in
excessive moisture in the manure
pit. Excess water can be absorbed
into the manure piles making them
soggy and “soupy” in consistency.
Instead of the droppings piling
or “coning” in relatively dry hills
under the cage rows, the manure
levels off and settles across the
rows. In these cases, house orienta
tion. pit design, ground water
runoff, wall leakage and pit venti
lation should be checked.
In periods of high rainfall, such
as occurred in Pennsylvania in
1996, ground water accumulation
can be more of a problem than anti
cipated. Water from equipment,
commonly originating from leak
ing waterers or water lines, can add
appreciable amounts of moisture
to the pit. Arrangement of cages
and dropping guards (curtains or
scraping boards) impacts on how
the excreted manure enters the pit
and how much drying of the drop
ping occurs.
In the specific case of increased
stained eggs, slope of cage floors
and possible obstructions between
the cage floor and egg belt should
be evaluated. The type and place
ment of waterers (nipples, cups)
impact on the amount of water
leaked or splashed out and wasted.
Ventilation intakes and fans must
be set to optimize air quality and
prevent excessive moisture build
up in the house.
Proper temperature control
including adequate house insula
tion also factors into decreasing
the formation of condensation on
surfaces within the house.
Feed And
Water Factors
Feed formulation should always
be checked carefully as certain
ingredients may cause “osmotic”
diarrhea. Excessive salt in the
ration is a common cause of osmo
tic diarrhea and increased water
intake. Certain types of bakery by
products may be hidden sources of
excess salt.
Salt levels in the water should
also be checked. Water meters
should be monitored to determine
if intake is normal for the given
environmental temperature and
humidity, always taking into
account that it is important for
birds to drink more in order to
avoid overheating in hot, humid
conditions.
Certain mycotoxins that may be
contaminating feed can cause wet
droppings. Ochratoxin, oosporein,
and citrinin are documented exam
ples of this phenomenon. Ochrato
xin’s main effect is damage to the
kidneys. Urate consistency is
altered and wet, sticky urates can
result in increased eggshell stains.
Oosporein also damages kidneys,
and end-stage p .al disease may
result.
Birds often develop gout and
urate consistency may change. Cit
rinin’s primary effect is a marked
increase in water consumption by
the birds which almost immediate-
ly result; in very watery
droppings.
Genetic Factors
Some strains of chickens have a
tendency toward wetter droppings
than others. Some naturally have a
softer fecal portion, while others
have more watery urates.
The ability to concentrate uric
acid and reabsorb water from the
intestinal/cecal content can vary
considerably. Some strains of
birds tend to drink more than
others, and the extra water intake
flushes through the kidneys and
results in watery droppings.
Behaviorally, some birds tend to
“play” with or splash in waterers,
causing mote spillage than would
occur with less aggressive drinkers
or more passive birds.
Disease Factors
Finally, urinary tract or
gastrointestinal tract disease can
alter the final consistency of the
dropping. Commercial layers
experience many insults to their
renal system, which can cause kid
ney damage. Particularly, the con
dition called “urolithiasis” (urate
stone formation), is a relatively
common ailment
Causes of kidney damage/
urolithiasis are high relative cal
cium in the pie-lay ration, alkaline
ration, water deprivation and pre
vious infection by nephrotropic
strains of infectious bronchitis vir
us. Genetic strain of bird has also
been implicated in the predisposi
tion to develop urolithiasis. As
previously noted, certain mycoto
xins can also cause end-stage renal
disease. In many flocks with sig
nificant kidney disease, egg pro
duction drops and increased mor
tality eclipse any complaints of
changes in dropping consistency,"*"
but these problems may be
concurrent.
Enteritis, which is defined in
general terms as any inflammation
in part or all of the intestinal tract,
can result in diarrhea. Enteric bac
teria, viruses, and parasites can
cause different forms of enteritis.
Bacteria such as E. coli and Sal
monella sp. likely cause enteritis in
chickens, but these conditions are
not as well defined as they are in
mammals such as cattle and swine.
Certain anaerobic bacteria, parti
cularly Clostridium Sp., can over
grow in the intestine and cause
ulcerative or necrotic enteritis.
Many enteric viruses including
reovirus, rotavirus, etc. can cause
intestinal pathology particularly in
young birds. Protozoal parasites
such as coccidia and Cryptospor
idia and helminth parasites includ
ing roundworms and tapeworms
also contribute to GI tract dysfunc
tion. All of these pathogens may
contribute to wet feces, although
most are considered uncommon
problems in adult caged layers.
Biogenic amines, mycotoxins or
other irritating compounds in feed
also cause enteric disease that can
result in diarrhea. Again, these
causes are relatively uncommon.
A condition called “cecal spiro
chetosis” has been diagnosed
recently at the Penn State Univer
sity Animal Diagnostic Laborat
ory in chickens from several layer
flocks presenting dirty vents, diar
rhea and/or increased staining of
eggshells. In this condition, heavy
numbers of spirochete-type bacter-
ia (motile, spiral-shaped flexible
rods) appear to be colonizing the
mucosal surface and crypts of the
cecal lining. Some of these bactcri
a appear to be invading the deeper
tissues of the cecae, and mild to
moderate inflammation is present.
With unaided vision, die cecae
often do not appear abnormal,
although the cecal content of some
birds may be watery or foamy.
Because a major function of the
cecae is reabsoiption of water from
the intestinal tract contents, any
pathology in this specialized por
tion of the lower tract can result in
watery feces.
The diagnosis of this condition
is made by microscopic examina
tion of specially stained cecal lin
ing smears and fixed cecal tissue.
Special bacteriologic cultures of
the cecae are also taken to grow the
spirochete on artificial media. Cul
ture of the organism is slow (5-6
days) and the organism is difficult
to sub-culture.
At Penn State, further character
ization of the spirochete by bioch
emical and electron microscopy
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lo nottonlea boot) .afflWwrt
techniques is under way. To date, and bacitracin. Of these'(Mgs,
the bacterium has not been spe- only bacitracin (low level) is
dated, but many of its characteris- approved for use in commercial
dcs are similar to bacteria in the egg layers. It is uncertain if the
genus Serpulina. allowable level would be effective
One species in this genus against layer cecal spirochetosis.
Serpulina kyodysenteria is the Antibacterial therapy followed
causative agent of swine dysen- by probiotics/normal gut flora
tery, a diarrheic disease of pigs, competitive exclusion products
Although normal cecal flora of would be a treatment regimen
chickens likely includes one or worthy of testing,
more species of spirochete bacteri- Many questions remain about
a, it appears that the specific over- the source, mode of transmission
growing spirochete associated and spread of the bacteria, its role
with cecal spirochetosis can be a as a pathogen or co-pathogen, and
pathogen in certain instances. effective treatment and control of
In recent years, published case die condition in layer chickens,
reports originating from lowa and More investigations into flocks
Ohio have described cecal spiro- with symptoms of diarrhea are
chetes associated with diarrhea/ necessary to determine the inci
dirty eggshells in layers. Previous- dence of the condition,
ly, reports of similar spirochete- Either cecal spirochetosis is a
associated conditions had fairly uncommon condition, or it is
appeared in the European liteta- present with significant frequency
hire. Laboratory testing in lowa but rarely diagnosed in routine
has shown that cecal spirochete diagnostic work-ups. Cecal spiro
isolates from chickens and rheas chetosis should be considered as a
are consistently sensitive to sever- differential diagnosis in cases of
al antibacterial drugs including diarrhea and eggshell staining in
carbadox, lincomycin, tiamulin, layers.
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IH 510 Wheel Loader $7,500 Lull 824 4x4,8,000 LB lift, 35’ reach,
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