Is roosting really Mandatory?

[Lisa Wood]

A broody hen is a different bird due to hormones. As she broods, she leaves the clutch and has a gigantic stinky poop about once a day.  After the chicks have hatched mine have always created a new nest on the floor, that is clean, each evening as she calls the chicks in, I see her scratch around in her nest, breaking down the poo. I agree, that I seldom see big poops there, just the little tiny ones of the chicks. 

My broodies, have

always gotten her chicks to roost with the flock at about 3-4 weeks. They still snuggle between her and usually the rooster. At that time all of there dropping fall to the floor and the floor nest is abandoned. Soon, the chicks will roost with the flock, but as a subgroup, and the broody period is over.

I am not experienced with parrots at all, and I don't have my chicken perch on me, but if I did, I would expect to pooped on. I have read no other evidence or seen any evidence that birds control their elimination.

Mrs K

Gotchya . Because of your info, I will not get upset if chicken poops on me. However, my parrots do not. They hold themselves and let me know when the need is urgent. Like racehorses, they are also taught to eliminate on command.
So then, if the reason the broodies change their poop cycle is hormones, I guess we must assume chickens in general go all night long.
Lisa

 

[donrae]

Chickens poop a lot while they sleep. There are some good threads on poop boards to place under the roost to make cleaning easier--in the Coop section.

 

[centrarchid]

Well this raises another related question for me. If I know Broodies hold it many hours till break time, to avoid pooping on little babies, then do they poop all night in their sleep? I may see a few more piles where they sleep, but thats also where the night time window is, and they are there sleeping, watching in am, etc. My Gofin Cockatoo doesnt poo while sleeping. And because I know this, I expect parrot impersonating chicks not to poop on me when they ask to get on my shoulders.
New Addict Lisa

I think I have an observation that is relevant. When I have adult chickens sleeping in a situation where the feet are flat / open as they are when roosting on the ground, they are much less inclined to defecate. This holds for even roosters. Immature chickens are not as capable of holding the feces in overnight. When is gets cold during winter months where nights are also longer even the adults can have trouble holding it in.