Please help my anxiety...

[cackleberryandco]

My chickens are morons. All of them. They're definitely knowledgeable, but not very bright.... book-smart, but not street-smart? Anyways, today one of them ate an entire banana peel. Like, took one of the pieces of it and swallowed the whole thing whole. And it was long. And it looked like it had a hard time going down. Is that cool? I know they can eat banana peels but I assumed chopped up. I didn't think she would attempt that. Like I said, not very bright.

I had a girl a few months ago who had debilitating sour crop for like two months, so I guess I'm just afraid it'll ball up in her crop and get stuck because it's so tough and long. Please reassure me I love these chickens with all my heart but they also can be the banes of my existence.

 

[Ebony Rose]

Dear Lord! She might be drunk by the time that banana peel rots well enough to be passed along through her digestive tract. In future, knowing you have a girl that's capable of ~that~, you might want to chop that stuff down a bit.

Sign me as, 'Unable to stop laughing'

 

[Isadora]

Wow, that's impressive! I've seen my ducks eat banana peels but they ripped off smaller bites before swallowing it.
Banana peels are pretty soft so I would hope it wouldn't be so fibrous that it would get stuck and cause a crop issue.

 

[NatJ]

today one of them ate an entire banana peel. Like, took one of the pieces of it and swallowed the whole thing whole. And it was long. And it looked like it had a hard time going down....I'm just afraid it'll ball up in her crop and get stuck because it's so tough and long.

Chickens swallow some amazing things, and are usually fine (not always, but usually.)

If she is not fine, I'm not sure there is much you can do anyway, other than possibly surgery to remove it from the crop-- and I wouldn't even think of trying that unless she proves there actually is a problem.

Best case scenario:
--You can feel her crop tomorrow morning, before she eats breakfast (try before sunup.) If it's empty, you know the banana peel went on to the next stage.
--Assuming her gizzard has enough grit, if the banana peel gets that far, it will get ground up. Once it's ground up, it should go through the rest of the digestive tract with no trouble.

 

[cackleberryandco]

Chickens swallow some amazing things, and are usually fine (not always, but usually.)

If she is not fine, I'm not sure there is much you can do anyway, other than possibly surgery to remove it from the crop-- and I wouldn't even think of trying that unless she proves there actually is a problem.

Best case scenario:
--You can feel her crop tomorrow morning, before she eats breakfast (try before sunup.) If it's empty, you know the banana peel went on to the next stage.
--Assuming her gizzard has enough grit, if the banana peel gets that far, it will get ground up. Once it's ground up, it should go through the rest of the digestive tract with no trouble.

Wow, that's impressive! I've seen my ducks eat banana peels but they ripped off smaller bites before swallowing it.
Banana peels are pretty soft so I would hope it wouldn't be so fibrous that it would get stuck and cause a crop issue.

Dear Lord! She might be drunk by the time that banana peel rots well enough to be passed along through her digestive tract. In future, knowing you have a girl that's capable of ~that~, you might want to chop that stuff down a bit.

Sign me as, 'Unable to stop laughing'

Thanks guys!! She seems okay a few days later! I definitely underestimated her though, I'll have to cut up the peels next time!

 

[NatJ]

Thanks guys!! She seems okay a few days later!

I'm glad she's fine!

I definitely underestimated her though, I'll have to cut up the peels next time!

Why cut them up? She just proved that she can handle them uncut.