DARK GREEN DROPPINGS

[THEMAN]

I have noticed some dark green droppings in the loft.  Similar to color to steamed spinach.  All the birds seem well and no other signs of illness.  All seem to have recovered well from the hawk attack (see previous post).  Not sure if this is something to worry about or not.  I asked one of the local fliers and he said that there is someting wrong with the gut.  Whatever that means.  Any suggestions would be helpful.  Thanks.

 

Tony

[Guest shadow]

It could be an upset stomach or the sympton of several other thing going wrong I would have the droppings sent away for testing and put the birds on a light diet. good luck  

 

fly hard fly fair

[Guest]

Agree with Shadow, could be something or nothing Theman.  

 

But unless there was also something else that worried me about the birds with these droppings, fore example sitting hunched up and miserable looking, or rapidly losing body, or persisted for days and getting watery or loose, I wouldn't give it a second thought.

 

Short piece from an article on droppings which may be of interest:

 

Green droppings

 

The main factor affecting the colour of a pigeon's dropping is what it has eaten. Pigeons digest many of the pigments found in their food rather poorly and so these pass relatively unaltered through the system and colour the dropping. In this way, birds eating, for example, a lot of pink minerals, can be expected to have brownish droppings. Also birds eating greenish grain (e.g. dun peas) or supplemented with green vegetables (such as silver beet) or tree-ranging and pecking at grass will have more green droppings. Green can, however, alert the fancier to the possibility of a problem. This is because green droppings can occur with bowel disease. The green colour comes from bile, which in birds is a brilliant fluorescent green. Bile is a digestive enzyme produced by the liver. After a number of metabolic steps, it passes from the liver down a duct (called the bile duct) into the bowel where it aids the digestive process. After digestion in the bowel, components of the bile are reabsorbed through the bowel wall for reuse. It the bowel is diseased, this process cannot occur normally, with the result that more green bile stays in the bowel and is passed in the dropping, resulting in a green dropping. Green droppings, therefore, can alert the fancier to the possibility of bowel disease. Usually, microscopic examination of a faecal smear will show the cause. There is always some bile left which when mixed with the rest of the dropping, gives it a greenish hue. Although in the early stages of bowel disease birds can produce a firm dropping that is green, as a general rule such droppings are associated with the ingestion of non-digestible green pigments. It is always safest, however, to have a vet or technician microscopically examine a few green droppings to check that everything is okay. Because inflamed bowels not only absorb bile but also water poorly, green droppings that are also watery do, however, almost invariably point to a problem. The only notable exception here would be the droppings of recently returned race birds. Because these birds have not eaten during the race, their droppings are made up of urine, bile and bowel mucus and appear as a clear fluid ring with a small central amount of green mucous material and white paste (the solid urine). In healthy birds, once in the loft and having eaten, their droppings should start to become normal within a few hours and unless the race was particularly taxing, should be completely normal by the next morning.

 

[Guest]

Have you changed your feed lately ????

[jimmy white]

if you havent changed your feeding, keep them in for a couple of days, it may be something their picking at outside, especially at this time of the year, but would get there droppings tested anyway.

[THEMAN]

No haven't changed the feed.

[jimmy white]

HOWS THINGS WITH THEM NOW DEEMAN, ANY WORSE OR ANY BETTER

[Guest slugmonkey]

I dont worry so much about the color as I do the consistency of the droppings my birds are allowed a lot of open loft so they are constantly picking green stuff ( right now it is wheatgrass ) I worry about the firmness more than anything

[Guest]

Been reading up on green droppings, and it can be caused when the humidity is high, which indicates the birds E-Coli level is a bit high, and it can be solved by giving the birds Probiotics when you notice the droppings going a bit green or when you know there will be high humidity about. Im sure probiotics would be a better solution to Antibiotics.

[jimmy white]

i would worry if my droppings were green??? :)

i wouldnt waste any time and simply get their droppings tested

[Guest]

Try Omega-Slim Product, add in the water, it must be good for fanciers.