Gross question but I have to ask

[CUDA]

I haven't seen a dog yet that doesn't like chicken poo, don't worry about it, not much you can do about it, dogs will be dogs!

 

[hcammack]

Oh I know my hens have perasites just aperantly nothing bad for them or the dog LOL Hens I know what you mean. I work at the zoo and everyone always says oh Otters and penguins are soo cute They are not they are evil creatures !!!! LOL I love them but they are evil !!!

 

[GwenFarms]

Like the last poster said dogs will be dogs. If you own chickens long enough eventually you will have to deal with coccidiosis and it can hit dogs hard, but its as easy to deal with in dogs as it is in chickens. You just have to catch it. They will get as sick as if they have parvo. You treat them with sulfa right along with your chickens. Hopefully you won't have to deal with this anytime soon though, its just something to keep in mind for you and anyone who owns both dogs and chickens. Of course, dogs are succeptable to coccidiosis from wild birds as well, so even if you keep them away from your chicken area that doesn't make them safe. I wouldn't bother trying to keep him away, I don't with mine. I want them as close to my chickens as I can get 'em to keep them safer from predators.

 

[ZykloniaDark-GothikRanchr]

From all the info I have read, Coccidiosis is a species specific parasite. Chickens can't get it from goats, goats can't get it from dogs, and so on... So I wouldn't worry about that. Also, from reading, the canine version of Coccidiosis is what we refer to as "parvo" so most of the time your dog is vaccinated against most nasties it could catch from the outside. So even though eating poo is YUCK, I don't think it will hurt them. Just be glad you are not a dog!!!!

 

[d.k]

* MY dog would eat the chicken--- first, anyway.

 

[mangled]

My boxer will eat the chicken poo off the porch when I put him out to do his business.

I have DE spread all around the coop, yard and run, so hopefully the hens have no parasites, and the dog always has a clean fecal, so even tho' it is

, he keeps the porch clean when I can't catch him, and we keep the breath bisquits on hand.

If he is nuts and whining to go outside to eat the poo, maybe there's some kind of deficiency going on. Might not be a bad idea to run it past your veterinarian.

Em

 

[s6bee]

Thanks guys for all the posts. She's obviously been doing it for a while, but since the weather allows the birds out an about she's gotten obsessed. I keep her vaccinated and wormed so hopefully that will cover all possible issues.
Today was the gross of all grosses though. She escaped the house when the birds had "free time" and I thought she was gonna grab one, but instead she stood staring and a soon as one dropped a load, she snatched it like a frog to a fly. Yuck! She could care less about the birds, it's the poop.

 

[s6bee]

I forgot to mention that she's on good food, but Vegitarian food because she gets stomach upset on others. I can maybe add a vitamin. I'll have to check into that.

 

[GwenFarms]

Quote:
Parvo is a virus and not the same thing as coccidia. You will see similar symptons, but coccidiosis is much easier to treat. Most of the time it is species specific, but there are strains that are not.

 

[snugglepup]

Coccidia is a protozoal infection, "parvo" is a nasty viral infection (that's why it's called Canine Parvo Virus"). Parvo you can vaccinate for, I am not aware of a vaccine for coccidia in dogs. Your common pyrantel based dewormers will not treat protozoa. Usually something like Albon is used for coccidia in dogs and cats. Nearly all dogs are exposed to coccidia in there lifetime, usually as puppies. Most likely from contact with other dogs' poo.

That said, I think your dog probably eats poo because she likes it! I wouldn't worry, it's pretty normal. She is much less likely to contract a parasite or disease from your birds than from another dog. The old idea that turd burglars have incomplete diets has since been disproven by several scientific studies.