Not eating grit

[Lady Lionheart]

I've started to notice visible grass in my chickens poop. A lot sometimes. They have grit available but don't use it. Their run is sand and they free range for a few hours a day. I figured they were getting grit from the sand and free ranging. Is the visible grass nomal or a sign of concern? (I did not snap any pictures and I only see it once or twice every few days) Thanks for any input!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If you have grit available, they will take what they need. You may not even notice much being gone. Only a few pieces are stored in the gizzard at a time to help grind/process food, once the grit is ground down, then it's expelled in waste. They may be picking up a source of grit in the sand or free range area as well.

You may see a few bits of grass/fibrous material in the poop, that would be normal. As long as they are active/eating/drinking, I would not be concerned.

It never hurts to do a crop check once a week on all your birds, feel crops first thing in the morning before they eat/drink - the crop should be empty.

 

[Lady Lionheart]

If you have grit available, they will take what they need. You may not even notice much being gone. Only a few pieces are stored in the gizzard at a time to help grind/process food, once the grit is ground down, then it's expelled in waste. They may be picking up a source of grit in the sand or free range area as well.

You may see a few bits of grass/fibrous material in the poop, that would be normal. As long as they are active/eating/drinking, I would not be concerned.

It never hurts to do a crop check once a week on all your birds, feel crops first thing in the morning before they eat/drink - the crop should be empty.

Thank you. I will start checking crops once in awhile.

 

[GC-Raptor]

Chickens are not herbivores with multiple stomachs like cows. So that's normal when they eat fibrous grass. I've read chickens will eat fibrous grass to control internal parasites. GC