I checked the infamous poop chart and can't find anything that is resembling what I have been seeing. 3 times this winter, I have found hens with very long, 5" or more poops that are stringy. When broken apart, (oh yes I did) it contained hay strands. Why is it not processing, or breaking up. Hens seem to have some difficulty passing. Never seen this before and I have been doing this for a bit... Dehydration? I have been watering them more frequently as the waters freeze here but it happened again today. Thoughts?
They have difficulty digesting hay and when they eat grasses it's usually in little pieces as they just nip the tips of the blades and shoots. These go through the gizzard and are mostly broken down by bacteria in the cecum. Maybe yours are too long and too tough to be processed in the normal manner. Different grasses and legumes have different levels of digestibility and this is particularly true of the monogastric chickens.
