Crystal like objects in chicken poop

[Sheppard hen]

Here's what was in her poop

Hello, I’m having the same issue,did you ever find out what it was? Plz let me know. Thank you.

 

[nuthatched]

Well what was the crystals in the poop?

Glass, as a few posters said.

 

[WendyCarrington]

Well what was the crystals in the poop?

It is Broken windshield glass. I guess at one point years ago there was a vehicle sitting in the yard where I built my chicken coop. They have been scratching up the glass out of the dirt.

I have been doing regular deep cleans of the pen and disposing of everything in contractor bags in the dumpster. Nothing is going into compost until there is no more glass left. I have been raking the pen on my days off and picking up what I can find, but they are still pooping a lot out.
The vet said it is about the size of grit so that is probably why they are eating it.

I have lost 1 hen to the glass


If they eat to much it can cause an impaction in their provent... or gizzard.


Also on the days that I work, I try to keep the ground piles high with yard clippings and hay. So they are less likely to find the glass.

It is crazy because my coop has been in the same place for years. However we have received a lot of rain this year, so that is probably what is bringing the glass to the surface.

 

[coach723]

I'm so sorry you lost a hen.
We find glass from jars, bottles, plates etc around all of our trees after hard rains. Apparently way back before we came here there was a lot of target practice and the remnants were left to lay. So we are always picking up the shards. Some big, some small. So far we've lost no birds to it.