Can Chickens eat their own Cecal poo?

[Lukeyin]

Is it harmful for chickens to ingest traces of their own cecal poo that is at most a day old? Or, is it possible that is is completely harmless to them and is dominated by their own probiotics?

 

[DobieLover]

Is it harmful for chickens to ingest traces of their own cecal poo that is at most a day old? Or, is it possible that is is completely harmless to them and is dominated by their own probiotics?

Chickens eat trace amounts of their own droppings all the time. It's why keeping their environment as clean as possible is important; to minimize the amount. It won't kill them.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Yes. As @DobieLover said, above. Its actually, arguably, beneficial - in that it allows birds to be exposed to trace amounts of pathogens which they can then develop resistance to, as well as helping to maintain a healthy supply of good gut bacteria.

 

[Lukeyin]

Chickens eat trace amounts of their own droppings all the time. It's why keeping their environment as clean as possible is important; to minimize the amount. It won't kill them.

How harmful is cecal poo them, specifically?

 

[Lukeyin]

Yes. As @DobieLover said, above. Its actually, arguably, beneficial - in that it allows birds to be exposed to trace amounts of pathogens which they can then develop resistance to, as well as helping to maintain a healthy supply of good gut bacteria.

Are you referring to cecal poo? Is cecal poo harmful in particular?

 

[Coops Dad]

It's not harmful unless they're eating so much of it that they're failing to get enough nutrients from their regular food. Trace amounts, like if they grab a piece of grain that fell in their poo, or if one poops in the feeder and it gets consumed, that's not going to harm them. A chicken that targets poops and goes after dookie the way my wife's beagle goes after dookie... well, that dog is down to 1/2 cup of kibble twice a day and is STILL gaining weight.