Grass in My Chickens’ Poop

[sorenheart]

Is it normal to find grass in my chickens’ poop? I know they eat it as they free range 90% of the time, but I’ve only just recently been seeing a lot of grass in a few poops here and there.

 

[azygous]

It's a red flag that the grass is too long and probably should be mowed. Normally, chickens bite off the tips of tender new grass, and it gets nicely blended in the poop. Long grass, on the other hand, will show up in the poop (unless it gets impacted in the crop) because grass is cellulose and doesn't digest.

Therefore, seeing grass in the chicken poop is a timely warning to be heeded before you start seeing crop issues.

 

[sorenheart]

It's a red flag that the grass is too long and probably should be mowed. Normally, chickens bite off the tips of tender new grass, and it gets nicely blended in the poop. Long grass, on the other hand, will show up in the poop (unless it gets impacted in the crop) because grass is cellulose and doesn't digest.

Therefore, seeing grass in the chicken poop is a timely warning to be heeded before you start seeing crop issues.

My grass is short though and gets mowed regularly.

 

[EddieSalita]

Do they get only pellets? Could it also be that they aren't getting enough grit? Not shell grit, the insoluble kind that is retained in the crop.
Chooks can't digest cellulose like ruminants. So the crop is a bit of space saving version of it.
I don't really know. Im just theorising that grass should not be able to survive the crop grinding process. Many impacted crop issues are from inadequate grit and/or crop development ime. Whole grains are crapped on for their inadequate nutritive value. But they serve a function in well-being by making the crop use it or lose it.
My chooks have constant acess to grass and spend a lot of time eating it. But never have I observed anything resembling grass in their poop. It's far too broken down.

 

[sorenheart]

Do they get only pellets? Could it also be that they aren't getting enough grit? Not shell grit, the insoluble kind that is retained in the crop.
Chooks can't digest cellulose like ruminants. So the crop is a bit of space saving version of it.
I don't really know. Im just theorising that grass should not be able to survive the crop grinding process. Many impacted crop issues are from inadequate grit and/or crop development ime. Whole grains are crapped on for their inadequate nutritive value. But they serve a function in well-being by making the crop use it or lose it.
My chooks have constant acess to grass and spend a lot of time eating it. But never have I observed anything resembling grass in their poop. It's far too broken down.

Pellets make up the majority of their diet, yes. They will occasionally get treats like watermelon, banana, and scrambled eggs but no junk food whatsoever, and I always make sure that the treats they’re getting are easy for them to swallow. I don’t provide grit for them. I tried it once, and it just sat in its own feeder for months. I had it hung in their coop by a leash that was positioned near a big dog cage, and some of the chickens started roosting on the cage, so it got poop all over it, and I haven’t replaced it since. I’m not noticing grass in a lot of their poops but definitely some. I think they’re coming from one chicken in particular, but I’m not too sure what that means.

 

[EddieSalita]

It could be that one chicken is beginning to develop crop issues, as mentioned, a warning sign. Maybe that's worth a try then to give them some grit. I definitely don't mean shell grit. Tiny rocks is what I mean.... the size of a match head through to a half a pea. Sold as granite chips or flint grit in most places. There is chick sized and adult sized.
Usually they find it on their own. But if you are like me and have only loamy fertile soil with very few tiny rocks. They might not be getting enough. I just throw a small shovel full of decomposed granite from the driveway onto the compost pile every few weeks.
A little bit of grit lasts a very long time. They might only use a tablespoon full every few weeks or more. So you might not notice the level going down at all. You could just throw a handful in the coop on the ground for them to find on their own. Or you could put a cup-full in a small dish. If they get into it quickly then you know they needed it.

It may not be that. But it's a really easy and cheap thing to try.

 

[sorenheart]

It could be that one chicken is beginning to develop crop issues, as mentioned, a warning sign. Maybe that's worth a try then to give them some grit. I definitely don't mean shell grit. Tiny rocks is what I mean. Usually they find it on their own. But if you are like me and have only loamy fertile soil with very few tiny rocks. They might not be getting enough. I just throw a small shovel full of decomposed granite from the driveway onto the compost pile every few weeks.
A little bit of grit lasts a very long time. They might only use a tablespoon full every few weeks or more. So you might not notice the level going down at all. You could just throw a handful in the coop on the ground for them to find on their own. Or you could put a cup-full in a small dish. If they get into it quickly then you know they needed it.

It may not be that. But it's a really easy and cheap thing to try.

I’ll do that then. When I had first provided it for them, I was actually really worried that they were going to gorge themselves on it, but they didn’t. If it doesn’t work though, and I still see grass, is there anything else I can do? Should I be seriously concerned?

 

[EddieSalita]

There are signs and treatments for impacted crops. Weird neck stretching, massaging etc..... IF that is what is happening. That's getting beyond my personal experience though, and i dont want to ill advise you. Hopefully someone more experienced will chime in.

Until then here is some search results:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/search/10644632/?q=Impacted+crop&o=relevance