Chickens looking for food in compost heap full of chicken poop

[brummie]

I have an area inside my chicken run which I use as a compost pile (not the whole run, just a small area of it). I usually chuck all the kitchen scraps in there so the chickens can take what they like and the rest just becomes compost. They also scratch/dig around for worms and bugs in there.

However I also get my droppings board from the coop and chuck all the chicken poop in the compost pile too. I have 10 chickens, so after a couple of days there is a lot of poop on the droppings board in the coop.

My question is, is it ok/safe for the chickens to be scratching around in the compost pile for food, with all that poop lying around in there too? Obviously they will not really eat the poop, they will just scratch it into the compost, but is it safe for them to be getting food from the same place also and getting poop over their feet and feathers, whether it's scraps or worms/bugs?

 

[Ridgerunner]

They will eat the poop, whether it is in the coop, in the run, or in your compost. That’s how they share probiotics and build flock immunities. Poop is also full of partially digested concentrated nutrients. Eating each other’s poop will not hurt them. It will help them.

 

[brummie]

Thanks for the concise answer. That's that sorted then. No need to worry about them digging around in the compost pile. I just wish they would eat more of the poop. It would mean less cleaning.