HELP my chicken eats poop!

[racefanz]

My chickens, 1 in particular, eats alot of poop. Sometimes I have just given them yummy food like bread or scratch and she chooses a pile of poop over that! There are 8 chickens in the coop and outdoor pen so I don't know who's poop it is, but still! Why does she do this?? Does she have some sort of vitamin defeciency?

 

[Ridgerunner]

It is just something chickens do. As long as it is either dry or fresh, there is not much likely harm in it. They can pick up some possible parasites or microbes, but this is how they pass these things off to each other so they can develop flock immunity.

If you have a wet, stinky coop and run, there can be harm in it as some harmful microbes flourish in that environment. If it is wet and stinky, clean it up and dry it out. Otherwise it should not be a problem.

By the way, this is how many animals pass immunities and helpful microbes off to each other. Baby elephants eat some of their mothers poo to get helpful microbes in their system.

 

[racefanz]

Thanks Ridgerunner! I knew that they ate a little bit, but she seems obsessed with it! The BIG problem right now is that it has been raining here for 2 weeks and there is no end in sight. The outdoor pen is usually clean, but right now there is nothing I can do! It is muddy and there is poop in there, however, it is not too bad. I keep things as clean as I can, cleaning it out daily. Since it has been raining though I haven't been able to clean it since it is mostly mushy in there!

 

[chseeads]

Chickens will eat EVERYTHING's poop. lol

What's what gives homegrown eggs that gorgeous dark yolk.....hehehe....