Chickens didn't poop all night!!

[RobynD]

Yesterday my pullets (although not laying yet!) got into sprouted pumpkin seeds with sea salt. They didn't eat anything else all day!!! They didn't poop all night (nothing on their poop board). I did see watery spots on their sand in their coop this morning. And after church I started seeing solid poops. Do I need to be concerned? Do I need to do anything, or just give them time for their bodies to adjust after overeating pumpkin seeds. They definitely aren't their peppy selves, but they aren't listless either.
THANK YOU!!

 

[TwoCrows]

Too much pumpkin or the seeds will give them the runs. Over eating too much salt will also contribute to diarrhea as well. It is possible that the fiber content of the seeds was enough to have them not eat much yesterday, hence the lack of poop this morning.

I wouldn't think there is any need to worry about them, as any gastro disturbances should work themselves out today. But to be on the safe side, I would check everybody's crop first thing in the morning tomorrow or any morning that there is no poop beneath the roost bar. Usually a lack of poop means a crop can still be full, which is never a good thing. Good luck with your babies!

 

[RobynD]

Thank you for your response! I needed the reassurance!

Question: Does their crop only process food at night? Or is it processing all day?

 

[cafarmgirl]

I would be most concerned about the salt. I don't think it takes much to cause toxicity but I also don't know if there's much you could do about it at this point since this happened yesterday. Hopefully somebody with more info on that subject will post.

 

[mysticalchicken]

I think chickens hold their business until morning. Cause meh roo... well.... lets just say it was the size of my fist

when i let him out in the morn.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Chickens poop all night long with the exception of broody hens sitting on the nest.

 

[mysticalchicken]

He probably did poop at night.... BUT IT STILL WAS BIG!

 

[TwoCrows]

All birds are different as to the rate at which food moves thru the intestinal tract. I think it is important to know how each bird processes it's food so that in the future you will know that "Pearl always poops up mounds by morning"...or "Hilda only poops a tiny bit and then leaves golf balls the moment she hops off the roost bar"...ect...Then you can monitor the birds and know when somebody is a bit off long before it becomes an issue.

The GI tract of a chicken is always processing food. It takes anywhere from 2 hours to 6 hours for the crop to completely empty, depending on the types of foods eaten and how long the food took to break down. Some birds process food quicker than others. A chicken will stuff itself before roosting so it has enough food in it's system to get thru the night. A healthy crop will be completely empty by morning.

And yes, if they ate enough salt, it could be come toxic. But as long as they are back to pooping, drinking, eating and moving about, I am sure it will iron itself out. Just keep an eye on everybody for the next 24 hours. If somebody starts to look really ill, there are recipes on line for epsom salt or molasses concoctions that will flush the poison out of their systems.

Keep us posted!

 

[aggiemae]

We have 8 hens and once in a while there are few or even no poops on the coop floor in the morning. I notice that when this happens that there will also be a trail of giant poops all across the run.

 

[RobynD]

All seem fine except for one. The crop seems very full. She also is not moving right. I noticed her gate seemed off and her head movements. Do I give her olive oil and massage her crop? HELP