My chickens hold it till they're let out in the morning

[mrbstephens]

Quote:
I'd like to know how you did that?

What kind of chickens are they?

They must be magic chickens.

I let them out into the run at 8:00am. They make a huge poop......then I let them free range for two hours. Then they go back into the run for the rest of the day. They get a hand full of scratch at this time. I give them organic feed and fresh water. I give them kitchen scraps often. They go to roost around 7:30 (now that it's getting dark earlier) and I lock them in for the night. Nothing special.

All 20 weeks old. 2 EEs, 1 LB, 1 RIR, 1 BA, and 1 PR rooster.

Maybe they are magic?

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Yes, mine do the same. Huge poo when first let out in the morning. There's very little poo in the coop.

 

[Luna_Chick66]

I'm curious now ... did you both keep their brooder super clean when they were chicks?

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Not particularly. Changed it a couple times a week.

 

[meadrian]

Mine's done that ever since our last hen died. She won't go until she's in the run in the morning then...ONE BIG POOP. Haven't had to clean the coop tray for 35 days. Now that she has new buddies, things may change, though.

 

[mrbstephens]

Quote:
Not particularly. Changed it a couple times a week.

I changed mine even less than that.

 

[Tonopah Pati]

Mine Poo in and out of the run, they are not roosting in the Hutches, always from the roosts, however they have found my screen room and love to Poo in there. I am not going for it. The girls also like my table or the chairs on the Patio. I am trying to train them with a squirt bottle. It works wonders with cats and dogs, so why not chickens? They do move when I squirt them.

 

[meadrian]

Got mine at 12 weeks, so no brooder. She wasn't like that then, though!

 

[Lil Chickie Mama]

I'm pretty sure there's no way for a chicken to "hold it" as they don't have a sphincter. It's not part of their anatomy to be able to hold it in. Probably what you are noticing is that they eat a fair amount before going to sleep or something *full bellies) and also that once you let them out they start moving and it starts their metabolism going again so everything moves on down and out the line.

 

[meadrian]

That makes perfect sense.