Chick Ate Dropping!

[AvocadoAbi]

Hi yall,
The whole chick raising thing is going great, but in my years of doing this, I have never seen a chick EAT a dropping. Yup, it fished it out of the shelf liner and ate it.
I don't get it... the chicks are given access to food and water 24/7 and for some weird reason it decided to do this?!?!?!
I'm most worried that it would get a disease from digesting that.
Would love any tips or advice!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Chickens eat poop. It's a reality.
The chick will be fine.

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

Hi yall,
The whole chick raising thing is going great, but in my years of doing this, I have never seen a chick EAT a dropping. Yup, it fished it out of the shelf liner and ate it.
I don't get it... the chicks are given access to food and water 24/7 and for some weird reason it decided to do this?!?!?!
I'm most worried that it would get a disease from digesting that.
Would love any tips or advice!

Ok this is actually hilarious I have never had a chicken do this but some are more spunky than others. They will be fine haha but maybe give them more entertain ment like a mirror or maybe a ball of lettace hanging I think there simply board haha

 

[ChookieG]

Ok this is actually hilarious I have never had a chicken do this but some are more spunky than others. They will be fine haha but maybe give them more entertain ment like a mirror or maybe a ball of lettace hanging I think there simply board haha

you can try hanging some small bells too. .like the ones they have on cat collars...my feisty Araucana boy used to try and rip them out of their strings!

 

[-Flash-]

Ugh, my chicks do it all the time. They are just weird. And gross.

 

[AvocadoAbi]

Thanks for all the advice! I guess they're kinda bored ahaha.

 

[neo71665]

Chickens will try to eat anything at least once that they can get in their beaks. Full grown birds will peck at and eat poop.

 

[Ridgerunner]

the chicks are given access to food and water 24/7 and for some weird reason it decided to do this?
I'm most worried that it would get a disease from digesting that.

Not weird at all. Chickens will peck and try to eat about anything. They eat droppings all the time. Usually the droppings have been scratched into tiny pieces and they get them when they peck and eat other things, I don't generally see them just eating droppings, but it doesn't surprise me.

Eating each others droppings is how they share probiotics and develop flock immunities. If one is sick or has a disease they all have it. They are not going to catch something they don't already have. It may be disgusting to you but did you know that when a baby elephant is ready to start foraging for part of what it eats instead of purely living on its mother's milk it eats some of her droppings to get the right probiotics in its system so it can digest the vegetative matter it eats. Things like this are survival tactics in the animal kingdom.

 

[ChookieG]

Eating each others droppings is how they share probiotics and develop flock immunities. If one is sick or has a disease they all have it. They are not going to catch something they don't already have. It may be disgusting to you but did you know that when a baby elephant is ready to start foraging for part of what it eats instead of purely living on its mother's milk it eats some of her droppings to get the right probiotics in its system so it can digest the vegetative matter it eats. Things like this are survival tactics in the animal kingdom.

A good reason why Fecal transplants (fecal microbiota transplants, FMT) for humans are proving to be more and more important and effective in the treatment of various diseases. We have much to learn from other animals!

 

[Chicken poppy]

Hi yall,
The whole chick raising thing is going great, but in my years of doing this, I have never seen a chick EAT a dropping. Yup, it fished it out of the shelf liner and ate it.
I don't get it... the chicks are given access to food and water 24/7 and for some weird reason it decided to do this?!?!?!
I'm most worried that it would get a disease from digesting that.
Would love any tips or advice!

100% fine. Mine dont often do it, but normal behavior. Is gross though.