Do rats eat chicken poop?

[cherylgladys]

I have noticed lately that there is not as much chicken poop in my coop overnight. Could a rat be eating it?

 

[KingD]

I've never heard of that before. if it is then they must be some very weird rats

 

[aart]

I doubt it, but you might see rat poop if you have rats

 

[Pet Educate]

It is quite plausible, although it may even be that your chickens are turning to it!
How is the rest of the diet?

 

[KingD]

It is quite plausible, although it may even be that your chickens are turning to it!
How is the rest of the diet?

 

[NatJ]

I have noticed lately that there is not as much chicken poop in my coop overnight.

Are the chickens eating as much food as usual in the evening?
If they eat less, then they poop less.
You could try feeling their crops after they go to roost in the evening, to make sure they are nice and full.

Are the chickens spending less time in the coop? As the days are getting longer, they might stay up later and get up earlier. Less hours in the coop means less poop in the coop.

Or it could just be one of those weird things chickens do to keep us guessing

 

[cherylgladys]

Are the chickens eating as much food as usual in the evening?
If they eat less, then they poop less.
You could try feeling their crops after they go to roost in the evening, to make sure they are nice and full.

Are the chickens spending less time in the coop? As the days are getting longer, they might stay up later and get up earlier. Less hours in the coop means less poop in the coop.

Or it could just be one of those weird things chickens do to keep us guessing

I don't think they are eating as much later in the day. I have been letting them free range in the yard a couple hours in the afternoon....I felt one of my girls crop today, and it was quite full. Will have to check the coop in the am. Thanks!

 

[cherylgladys]

By turning to to it..you mean they are eating it?? Yikes!

 

[NatJ]

I don't think they are eating as much later in the day. I have been letting them free range in the yard a couple hours in the afternoon....I felt one of my girls crop today, and it was quite full. Will have to check the coop in the am. Thanks!

I didn't mean whether they were eating chicken food vs. stuff they foraged, just whether they were going to bed with full crops. I assumed that a full crop will make more poop by morning than a crop that is not full.

But now that I think about it, I suppose different food in the crop at bedtime could produce a different amount of nighttime poop--either they might digest some things more efficiently (less total poop), or some things might digest more slowly (poop out the next day instead of during the night.) Hmm, I start to realize I don't know as much about chicken digestion as I thought I did

 

[cherylgladys]

I didn't mean whether they were eating chicken food vs. stuff they foraged, just whether they were going to bed with full crops. I assumed that a full crop will make more poop by morning than a crop that is not full.

But now that I think about it, I suppose different food in the crop at bedtime could produce a different amount of nighttime poop--either they might digest some things more efficiently (less total poop), or some things might digest more slowly (poop out the next day instead of during the night.) Hmm, I start to realize I don't know as much about chicken digestion as I thought I did

I know zero. But it is all so interesting.