Questions on free ranging and crop impaction

AnachainAcres

Chirping
Apr 13, 2021
43
78
59
WNY
So a bit ago before i really got into the chicken thing (had owned a few in the past but never really got into health and wellness as seriously) I helped at a vegan farm animal sanctuary. They had a flock of chickens a duck and several turkeys. All were kept together in a concrete floored run and a shed style coop. None had access to any grassy area except a couple of the turkeys. All animals there were fed a vegan diet. i know chickens are omnivores. They all were fed a chicken layer feed. i remember cleaning the run and coop and recall most poos being just straight liquid. Rarely did i ever see what i know now as normal poo. The few chickens I owned before were free range and healthy good layers. never had any health issues and eggs always seemed strong shelled and dark yolked. The sanctuary only supplemented using Poultry boost and cracked the raw eggs the hens laid into the feed. their thought on this was that the hens needed more protein and that the egg would add protein. but if the hens are deficient wouldnt the eggs be too!? that never made sense to me. They were not offered grit or oyster shell at all. One day one hen got out on to the grass and the farm manager freaked saying that the birds couldnt be on grass even a couple minutes because they would get impacted crops. As i stated prior my birds before were free range all the time and this never was an issue.

I now have three SPCA rescues (1 roo and 2 hens all white leghorns) and i am paranoid of letting them out on grass. I feel that free range is healthiest but now i am worried about impaction. I feed Purina Layena and offer grit along with about a table spoon each of a scratch and mealworm snack every night and a oregano water supplement.

am i being over worried? or was their diet not healthy and they were more susceptible?
 
So a bit ago before i really got into the chicken thing (had owned a few in the past but never really got into health and wellness as seriously) I helped at a vegan farm animal sanctuary. They had a flock of chickens a duck and several turkeys. All were kept together in a concrete floored run and a shed style coop. None had access to any grassy area except a couple of the turkeys. All animals there were fed a vegan diet. i know chickens are omnivores. They all were fed a chicken layer feed. i remember cleaning the run and coop and recall most poos being just straight liquid. Rarely did i ever see what i know now as normal poo. The few chickens I owned before were free range and healthy good layers. never had any health issues and eggs always seemed strong shelled and dark yolked. The sanctuary only supplemented using Poultry boost and cracked the raw eggs the hens laid into the feed. their thought on this was that the hens needed more protein and that the egg would add protein. but if the hens are deficient wouldnt the eggs be too!? that never made sense to me. They were not offered grit or oyster shell at all. One day one hen got out on to the grass and the farm manager freaked saying that the birds couldnt be on grass even a couple minutes because they would get impacted crops. As i stated prior my birds before were free range all the time and this never was an issue.

I now have three SPCA rescues (1 roo and 2 hens all white leghorns) and i am paranoid of letting them out on grass. I feel that free range is healthiest but now i am worried about impaction. I feed Purina Layena and offer grit along with about a table spoon each of a scratch and mealworm snack every night and a oregano water supplement.

am i being over worried? or was their diet not healthy and they were more susceptible?
Let them out and enjoy their chicken lives! You’re providing grit, they will be fine! It may take their systems a little time to adjust, but they’ll be fine.
 
Go with your prior experiences and trust those. The "manager" is an alarmist and pretty clueless as to what goes on in the real world. Can they get an impacted crop from grass? Absolutely. But it's long stem grass that chickens don't typically bother with. When they are out foraging in the grass, they are searching for bugs, seeds, tender shoots... not old mature long stem tough fiberous grass.
 
As long as the grass is kept mowed so that it doesn't develop long tough stems, your chickens shouldn't get into trouble. The key is to be sure adequate grit is available. Check the soil for this by scooping up a handful from the top layer and sifting it so gravel remains. Look at the gravel for sharp edges and size. It should be around an eighth of an inch in diameter give or take. Round edge gravel isn't useful as grit and you will need to supply it as you do oyster shell for the layers. (No, layer feed isn't enough calcium)

Also key is providing drinking stations where the chickens range so they get plenty of water. Feed a balanced commercial feed, not vegetarian special mix that may lack proper nutrients and the chickens won't over fill their crops with grass.

Eggs will contain all of the protein and nutrients eggs usually contain, but the egg process will pull valuable nutrients from a hen's blood stream as it completes its journey down the oviduct. If the hen is deficient, the hen will suffer the consequences, not the egg.
 
Thank you for your responses! I am learning a lot on this site and very thankful.

I will let them free range whenever possible. Thats what i wanted for them but just worried about putting them at risk.

I did have one more question though. I am feeding Purina Layena that says on the bag it contains oyster shell within the feed and supplementation is not necessary. Should i still supplement with oyster shell if this feed is higher in calcium than a regular layer ration?
 
Thank you for your responses! I am learning a lot on this site and very thankful.

I will let them free range whenever possible. Thats what i wanted for them but just worried about putting them at risk.

I did have one more question though. I am feeding Purina Layena that says on the bag it contains oyster shell within the feed and supplementation is not necessary. Should i still supplement with oyster shell if this feed is higher in calcium than a regular layer ration?
Yes, and to save a little money save your egg shells and feed them back to your ladies 😉
 
Let them out. They will get grit when pecking at the ground but grit only works in the gizzard, that's where the stuff gets ground up. It is possible for them to get an impacted gizzard but grit should take care of that. Grit will not help prevent an impacted crop. They don't do any grinding in the crop.

The problem with crop impaction typically comes from them eating a lot of really long stuff. But when they forage they generally don't eat a lot of that. With the grasses roots in the ground they typically break off little bits of plant material, not enough long strands to do harm. I try to never say never, anything can possibly happen, but chickens have been free ranging and eating that stuff long before we ever domesticated them. You should always observe your chickens for problems but I don't worry about this type of stuff.

it is also possible a crop can get impacted if they eat too much sand or such. That generally doesn't happen with chickens, it's more a problem with Emu and such, but another possibility that means you should observe. You should observe pet dogs or cats every day too. This type of thing is not something I lose sleep over, just normal animal husbandry.

I am feeding Purina Layena that says on the bag it contains oyster shell within the feed and supplementation is not necessary.
If all they eat is that Layer feed then the percentage of calcium in that feed is the right proportion for their egg shells. But it is not what is in one bite, it's how many total grams of calcium they eat in a day. If they eat a lot of low calcium stuff they may not be getting all the calcium they need. On the other hand, they can get calcium from some of the plants they eat or some creepy crawlies they get lucky enough to catch. If your native stone is limestone or another calcium rich rock they may be getting a lot of calcium from that. Your egg shells will tell you if they are getting enough calcium from some source. If the egg shells are thick enough they are getting enough calcium from some source. If they are thin they need a calcium supplement. I like to offer a calcium supplement on the side anyway. If they don't need it they don't eat it. Egg shells or oyster shells may last around forever or they may disappear.

Good luck and relax.
 
Let them out. They will get grit when pecking at the ground but grit only works in the gizzard, that's where the stuff gets ground up. It is possible for them to get an impacted gizzard but grit should take care of that. Grit will not help prevent an impacted crop. They don't do any grinding in the crop.

The problem with crop impaction typically comes from them eating a lot of really long stuff. But when they forage they generally don't eat a lot of that. With the grasses roots in the ground they typically break off little bits of plant material, not enough long strands to do harm. I try to never say never, anything can possibly happen, but chickens have been free ranging and eating that stuff long before we ever domesticated them. You should always observe your chickens for problems but I don't worry about this type of stuff.

it is also possible a crop can get impacted if they eat too much sand or such. That generally doesn't happen with chickens, it's more a problem with Emu and such, but another possibility that means you should observe. You should observe pet dogs or cats every day too. This type of thing is not something I lose sleep over, just normal animal husbandry.


If all they eat is that Layer feed then the percentage of calcium in that feed is the right proportion for their egg shells. But it is not what is in one bite, it's how many total grams of calcium they eat in a day. If they eat a lot of low calcium stuff they may not be getting all the calcium they need. On the other hand, they can get calcium from some of the plants they eat or some creepy crawlies they get lucky enough to catch. If your native stone is limestone or another calcium rich rock they may be getting a lot of calcium from that. Your egg shells will tell you if they are getting enough calcium from some source. If the egg shells are thick enough they are getting enough calcium from some source. If they are thin they need a calcium supplement. I like to offer a calcium supplement on the side anyway. If they don't need it they don't eat it. Egg shells or oyster shells may last around forever or they may disappear.

Good luck and relax.
Their eggs have had thick shells and are heavy but i think i will put the oyster shell/egg shell out to be on the safe side
 

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