How do you help chickens with constipation?

[ChickLover2007]

Sorry if this is the wrong thread but how can I help a chicken with constipation? I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong so I’ll list what I’ve been doing and what’s been happening. So today when I went out to give my chickens some scraps I noticed the pen had multiple golf ball sized poops, I’m used to seeing one every now and then but I could count at least four and the other day one of my hens just sat down out of nowhere, like she was trying to lay an egg off the nest and I didn’t think anything of it because chickens are just weird sometimes but now I’m starting to think it wasn’t just a one off thing. I don’t know if one of the poops belonged to her but she was acting strange yesterday so I’m going to assume so. Like I said before I’m used to seeing one every now and then, like one or two a month but I’m concerned now. Their diet consists of mainly chicken feed with grass and scraps thrown in, the scraps consisting whatever we have on hand at the time (bread, crackers, lettuce, rice, peas and so on) with the chicken feed being scratch, pellets, gravel and oyster shells for calcium. I think I know what the problem is but I’m coming here before I implement a solution, just in case it’s not what I’m thinking. I think it’s where we feed them twice a day, we try to keep food available at all times but they aren’t free range so it’s hard to do and with the lack of entertainment it makes the problem worse. I think they’re eating everything all at once in the morning and the food is going through their digestive track all at once because they’re bored so they don’t take their time to eat throughout the day because they don’t have anything else to do, and then eating all at once in the evening when we give them their scraps and the cycle repeats. I’m a little new to the chicken and homesteading world so I only really google stuff or reach out for help when I see a problem so that has left me with limited knowledge. Im trying my best to care for them and I’m trying to invest in one of those gravity feeders so they don’t just have to rely on me to feed them but any suggestions in the meantime would be appreciated. I’m also making some chicken snacks, you know those bird bar things that are just loose seed put into some kinda brick mold? I’m making a version of that for my chickens to hopefully keep them entertained throughout the day, but I don’t know how effective that will be. I also give them a lot of grass to scratch around in the morning but maybe it’s not enough? I don’t know, the only symptoms they’re having is the weird behavior of just sitting down out of nowhere and the gulf ball sized poops they’re taking, no missing feathers or anything like that. Thank you for reading this, any help is appreciated and if this is the wrong thread please tell me so I can take it down and go to a different, more appropriate one. I only come on this site for help so I don’t know everything, very sorry and thank you again.

 

[Iworkforangels]

Olive oil for constipation but your chicken has Gape parasites and needs to be wormed

 

[Debbie292d]

Golf ball-sized poops are laid by my hens that are broody when they go take a break.

If it's happening with all of your chickens, broody or not, I'd cut out the bread or so much of it, keep the scratch to minimum, and try keep them mostly on the chicken feed you have.

You could also try probiotics like sugar-free yogurt or they make powders like Hydro-Hen or Save A Chick, etc. you put in the water. That would help regulate the flora in their systems.

 

[dawg53]

Olive oil for constipation but your chicken has Gape parasites and needs to be wormed

This is misinformation. It is not gapeworms. Olive oil will cause diarrhea.

 

[dawg53]

I agree with @Debbie292d cut out the bread and scratch. You can give them applesauce. Applesauce acts as a mild laxative in chickens.