Flock health
Chicken Poop Chart: Normal and Abnormal Droppings and What They Mean
Normal chicken poop is fairly solid, brown (or green when hens eat grass) with a white cap, and every so often a hen passes a softer, smellier cecal dropping that is also normal; runny, bloody, orange, yellow, dark green, milky white, foamy or wormy droppings are the ones that can signal disease or parasites (University of Maryland Extension FS-1178). One odd dropping is not a diagnosis, so this chart sorts what each type usually means and when to involve a veterinarian, a diagnostic lab or the state veterinarian. HenClass summarizes extension and veterinary guidance and gives no treatment or dosing advice.
Jump to: Chicken poop chart · What normal looks like · When to call right away · Getting a diagnosis
Chicken poop chart: normal vs abnormal droppings
Read droppings against your own flock's normal. The Merck Veterinary Manual lists "abnormal feces" among the early signs of illness in backyard poultry, along with changes in food and water consumption and soiled feathers around the vent.
| Dropping | What it looks like | What it usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal (intestinal) | Relatively solid, shades of brown, or green if the hen eats grass or other plants, with a white cap (Maryland FS-1178) | Healthy. The white, pasty coating is uric acid, the bird's form of urine; chickens do not urinate (Kentucky) | Nothing. Learn what your flock's look like |
| Cecal | Pasty or "gooey," smellier than regular droppings, light to dark brown (Alltech poster; FS-1178); Damerow describes mustard yellow, chocolate brown or greenish brown and no white cap | Normal: the two ceca ferment coarse leftover material (Kentucky) and empty two or three times a day, about once every 8 to 10 droppings (Alltech; Damerow) | Nothing |
| Broody hen | Noticeably foul-smelling | Normal for a broody hen, who leaves the nest so rarely that droppings stay in her intestines longer (Kentucky ASC-247) | See broody hens |
| Watery or runny | Diarrhea; white urates may or may not be present (FS-1178; Alltech) | Possible viral or bacterial infection, a change in diet or parasites (Alltech); heavy worm burdens can cause diarrhea (Penn State). In summer, birds drink more and droppings carry more moisture (Penn State) | Check the bird for other signs; call a vet if illness is suspected (Alltech) |
| Bloody, red or orange mucus | Blood and/or clear to bright orange mucus (Penn State); red cecal droppings (Alltech) | A sign of coccidiosis (Penn State); red cecal droppings can point to cecal coccidiosis (Alltech). It mainly affects young chickens, especially in their first 4 to 6 weeks (Tennessee D194) | Take droppings to a diagnostic lab or vet; keep litter dry (Penn State; Tennessee) |
| Green and watery | Greenish, watery diarrhea | A USDA APHIS warning sign of avian influenza and virulent Newcastle disease. Green droppings with little fecal matter can also mean a bird is not eating, liver problems or systemic disease (Alltech) | With sudden deaths or the other signs below, report it right away (APHIS) |
| Yellow or sulfur-colored | Yellow, sometimes blood-stained or foamy (Alltech) | Blackhead (histomoniasis), viral or bacterial infection or a diet change (Alltech). Merck links sulfur-colored feces to blackhead, though chickens are usually carriers without signs | Vet or lab |
| Foamy | Light to dark brown, watery and/or foamy (Alltech) | Possible viral or bacterial infection, diet change or parasites (Alltech) | Vet or lab if illness is suspected |
| Mostly white or milky | Large amounts of white urates; in clinical cases only white urates are passed (Alltech) | White droppings may point to kidney disease, infections, moldy feed, drug overuse, heavy metals or diet imbalance (Alltech) | Vet or lab |
| Black, orange or greasy | Any of these colors or textures (FS-1178) | "Can indicate disease or presence of parasites" (FS-1178) | Watch for other signs; vet or lab |
| Worms visible | Worms in the droppings (FS-1178) | Internal parasites; see worms in backyard chickens | Confirm with a microscopic fecal exam by a vet or lab (Penn State) |
- Normal: fairly solid and brown with a white cap of urates (Maryland FS-1178; Kentucky).
- Cecal, also normal: soft, pasty and smellier, with no white cap (Alltech; Damerow).
- Watery: diarrhea; infection, diet change or parasites are possible causes (Alltech).
- Blood or orange mucus: the coccidiosis pattern Penn State describes.
- Green and watery: an APHIS warning sign for avian influenza and virulent Newcastle disease.
- Yellow and foamy: blackhead, infection or a diet change are possible causes (Alltech).
What normal looks like, and why it varies
In the cloaca, digestive waste mixes with urates from the urinary system, so a chicken voids feces and uric acid together; the white, pasty part is normal (University of Kentucky, Jacob). Color shifts with diet: Maryland notes green droppings in hens eating grass or other vegetation, and Damerow says cecal droppings range from mustard yellow to greenish brown depending on what the hen eats.
- Cecal droppings are not diarrhea. Expect one in every 8 to 10 droppings, two or three a day (Alltech; Damerow).
- Broody hens hold their droppings longer, so they smell worse (Kentucky ASC-247).
- Hot weather means more drinking: Penn State's heat table notes high water consumption at 95 to 100°F, and its coccidiosis guidance says more water is spilled near waterers and droppings have a high moisture content. See heat stress and water for chickens.
Watching droppings day to day
- Know the baseline. The hen health check includes droppings alongside comb, eyes, crop and vent.
- Look at fresh droppings under the roost or on a droppings board (see roosts and perches).
- Check the vent. Merck lists soiled feathers around the vent as an early sign of illness. In young chicks, Merck says cannibalism generally results from diarrhea (soiled or pasty vents) or insufficient feed; see feather pecking and cannibalism.
- Look at the whole bird. The University of Georgia notes that watery and green or bloody diarrhea indicates a gastrointestinal disorder, and that sick birds may drink large amounts of water.
- Handle droppings and litter with care, as described in Salmonella and backyard poultry.
When to call right away
USDA APHIS lists these signs as possible avian influenza or other serious disease: sudden death or more deaths than usual; lack of energy or appetite; fewer eggs or soft-shelled or misshapen eggs; swelling of the head, neck, eyelids, comb, wattles or shanks; purple discoloration of the wattles, comb or legs; gasping, nasal discharge or sneezing; stumbling, falling or a twisted neck; and greenish, watery diarrhea. Its Newcastle disease sheet adds ruffled feathers, tremors, drooping wings and swelling around the eyes and neck.
Report these to your state veterinarian or to USDA at 1-866-536-7593 (APHIS). The respiratory diseases chart and biosecurity checklist cover these diseases and how to keep them out.
Getting a diagnosis
- Droppings can be tested. "Fecal material can be taken to an animal diagnostic laboratory," where coccidia oocysts are easily seen under a microscope (Tennessee D194; Penn State).
- Worms: a definitive diagnosis takes a microscopic exam for worm eggs or larvae, which many vet clinics and labs can do (Penn State). One clean sample does not prove a bird is worm-free (Merck).
- A dead bird, properly preserved, can go to the lab for necropsy (Tennessee D194).
- Not sure whom to call? The University of Georgia suggests your county extension office, which can direct you to the state's veterinary labs. The health check page explains how to find a poultry vet or lab.
Coccidiosis prevention from the same sources: buy vaccinated birds where possible, keep birds on thick, dry litter, replace wet or caked litter around waterers, and give unvaccinated birds more than 5 square feet each (Penn State; Tennessee). Tennessee warns against overusing anticoccidial drugs, which breeds resistance; treatment decisions belong with a veterinarian. Litter choices are on the coop bedding and litter page.
Sources
- Ashlyn Snyder, Jon Moyle and Shawna Weimer, University of Maryland Extension — Sickness Behavior in Chickens (FS-1178, September 2021, PDF)
- Jacquie Jacob, University of Kentucky — Avian Digestive System (Small and Backyard Poultry, extension.org)
- Alltech — Poultry Fecal Analysis poster (PDF hosted by UC ANR Poultry)
- Gail Damerow — How to ID a Chicken's Cecal Droppings
- Jacquie Jacob and Tony Pescatore, University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension — Broodiness in Chickens (ASC-247, August 2021, PDF)
- Gino Lorenzoni, Penn State Extension — Managing Chicken Coccidiosis in Small Flocks During Summer (updated January 2026)
- Tom Tabler, Maria Prado, Pramir Maharjan, Jonathan Moon and Jessica Wells, University of Tennessee Extension — Coccidiosis in Backyard Poultry Flocks (D 194, November 2022, PDF)
- Megan Lighty, Penn State Extension — Deworming Backyard Poultry (updated June 2026)
- Gregory P. Martin and Alina Corey, Penn State Extension — Hot Weather Management of Poultry (updated September 2025)
- Robert Beckstead, Merck Veterinary Manual — Histomoniasis in Poultry (reviewed March 2024)
- Rüdiger Hauck, Merck Veterinary Manual — Helminthiasis in Poultry (reviewed January 2024)
- Yuko Sato, Merck Veterinary Manual — Common Management-Related Problems in Backyard Poultry (reviewed November 2024)
- USDA APHIS — Defend the Flock: How to Spot Sickness
- USDA APHIS — Virulent Newcastle Disease: Know the Signs (PDF)
- Claudia Dunkley, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension — Backyard Flock Tip: How Will I Know That My Birds Are Sick? (September 2010, PDF)