HELP!! Chickens eating dog poo. Any problems with eggs?

Dr.Doorlock

Songster
11 Years
Oct 21, 2008
408
4
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Garland, Texas
It bothered me a little bit when one of our Boston Terriers was caught eating chicken poo, but I'm much more troubled to see my laying hens eating dog poo. I haven't noticed any difference in the eggs, but just the thought bothers me a little and really irks my wife.

I've heard either problem can indicate a shortage of protein in the diet, but they just started this obnoxious behavior with no change in diet. The dogs have always been poo eaters. With the weather being so cold lately, the puppy poo patrol has been put off. We never bother with hen poo patrol because they do most of their business in the coup while roosting. I just compost the hay when I clean the coup.

I would welcome ALL ideas to make my hens stop eating poo. Please help.
 
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I can see why it would bother you....
Just a thought, but is there anything you can put on the "poo" that the chickens wouldnt like the taste of?
Other than that, the only thing I can think of is trying to keep the yard as clear of dog poo as possible.
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I sure am curious if anyone else has ideas, that HAS to be frustrating!
 
We used to put tabasco sauce on the chair leg to keep the dog from chewing. I don't know if putting it on chicken poo would work. We have 50+ birds I'd need stock in the hot sauce company if I was going to do that. As for the other way, chickens eating dog poop they are probably trying to get the bits of grain left in the poop. Like they do with our cow poop. They scratch through that and get the grain that is not digested when we are actually graining our cows. It is disgusting but its a fact. They are probably getting more grain than poop and it does process into a different area of their body than where the egg is so its not like dog poop or cow poop will come out in the egg so your safe... it just sounds really gross.
 
LOL I had a nice compost pile going, and thought how awesome would it be to add the chick litter. An hour later I cant find the dog. So I go outside and the compost pile is spread out all over the place and I go watch the dog and figure out he is eating the chick poo out of the compost. Now it was kind of icky, but what was ickyer was the fact that he likes to give the family kisses with that mouth


If your dog has any diseases then they may or may not pass it on to the bird. I think it would be best to remove the dog poo from the area if you can.
 
My female dog likes to eat chicken poo too. My male does not. I never have to clean my boots after I muck out the coop as my girl does it for me! LOL! Even if I spray them off in the yard, she will lick the poo off of the grass. Yuck! My dogs are seperated from my birds, so my birds can't get to the dog poo.
 
Maybe you should increase their protein intake. Their needs will change as they lay I would think. The more their body uses the more they would be required to take in. It's worth a shot.
 
I would try to pick up as much of it as possible. Or if it is not freezing I would hose it down. Chickens can't taste hot foods such as cayenne pepper or tabasco so that won't work. The thing that worries me is if you give a chicken onion the eggs will take on an onion taste. Same with Garlic. Medications are passed to the eggs. And now they are eating dog poo.......
 
I don't know how to get a dog to stop eating chicken poo, but there is a way to get dogs to stop eating their own poo, and this might keep chickens from eating dog poo as well. There is a product on the market that you give the dog to make its poo unpalatable; it is called Dis-Taste. I know Fosters and Smith (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/) carries it, maybe other pet product companies too. It would be interesting to find out whether it would work for chickens.
 
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