Rooster issue

[MysteryChicken]

She is amazing, and every thing she does is science based as she is also a researcher. I nerd out on webinars from the poultry science association lol, just watched a great one on The Gut in poultry health and disease.

I recommend her because she has some really interesting information for chicken nerds.

I’ve never had a rooster before. He’s an oopsie I fell in love with.

Sand only benefits the gizzards of small birds, & baby chicks raised by a hen.
A Chicken can actually get clogged up by ingesting too much sand, as it does often sticks to it's self when wet, & compacted.

 

[The Good Grumble]

Sand only benefits the gizzards of small birds, & baby chicks raised by a hen.
A Chicken can actually get clogged up by ingesting too much sand, as it does often sticks to it's self when wet, & compacted.

Do you have a study or reference that I can read. I use sand in my coop and run as it’s really hygienic. I do free range as well, and I live on a sand pit lol. —- considering their ancestors lived in very sandy regions (I’m referring to jungle fowl) this is the first I’m hearing of this. I would like to read more for my own knowledge. I have never had any crop issues with my birds. I absolutely hated pine shavings when I used those….hay and straw get too wet, and I have heard about hay causing crop issues as well. It doesn’t leave a lot of options. I will say I have the cleanest coop I’ve ever had though. So easy to maintain.

 

[The Good Grumble]

Sand only benefits the gizzards of small birds, & baby chicks raised by a hen.
A Chicken can actually get clogged up by ingesting too much sand, as it does often sticks to it's self when wet, & compacted.

Thank you for sending me down a rabbit hole lol! I found what I needed and other cool information to. The study I linked below is by far one of the best I have seen on litter options.

One thing to note regarding sand is that it does not hang up in their digestive system. (SA) Sand moves through the digestive system faster. Absolutely fascinating study and worth the read if you have a chance! (WS - wheat straw, RS- rice straw) all abbreviations are noted at beginning of the study under materials studied.

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2021.669504/full

“Ramadan et al. (5) found no effects of WS, whole RS, and SA singly or in combinations on carcass weight and welfare indices (fear, developmental instability, feather score, footpad dermatitis, and stress) of broilers, but BWG improved on SA-based litters. Gizzard weight increased on WS compared to SA or RS beddings. The improved weight gains on SA or mixtures containing it may be attributed to better welfare, further elucidating the quality of SA as bedding material. The authors attributed the pattern of gizzard development to (i) increased activity of this organ due to consumption of the fibrous shavings, (ii) faster rate of passage of SA through the gastrointestinal tract, and (iii) difficulty in consuming RS compared to WS”,

 

[MysteryChicken]

Do you have a study or reference that I can read. I use sand in my coop and run as it’s really hygienic. I do free range as well, and I live on a sand pit lol. —- considering their ancestors lived in very sandy regions (I’m referring to jungle fowl) this is the first I’m hearing of this. I would like to read more for my own knowledge. I have never had any crop issues with my birds. I absolutely hated pine shavings when I used those….hay and straw get too wet, and I have heard about hay causing crop issues as well. It doesn’t leave a lot of options. I will say I have the cleanest coop I’ve ever had though. So easy to maintain.

There's been people here on BYC that actually had birds get sand impaction in their birds.
JungleFowl live on mixed soils, & pick up small stones(Pebbles) as grit.

I use straw in the coop, & Leaves/pine needles in the runs of my coop. Mimics the forests ground, & doesn't stink.

 

[The Good Grumble]

I agree.

So one more study - this is an older one, 1960… I couldn’t find a newer one. The breakdown of the findings in small (sand particles) to larger (pebble sized) grit was that the smaller particles were ingested at a higher rate, improved absorption of food and cockerels had better weight gain. There is a chart on P.55 of the comparisons of grit treatment, consumption and body weight / gain.

https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/pdf/10.4141/cjas60-010

Click on the link for the .pdf after the abstract if this doesn’t work.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I'm pretty sure what you're posting is a bout small amounts consumed, not chickens that have gorged on sand.

We're talking about two different things.

 

[MysteryChicken]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/crop-full-of-sand.1130076/

 

[The Good Grumble]

Sand only benefits the gizzards of small birds, & baby chicks raised by a hen.
A Chicken can actually get clogged up by ingesting too much sand, as it does often sticks to its self when wet, & compacted.

I'm pretty sure what you're posting is a bout small amounts consumed, not chickens that have gorged on sand.

We're talking about two different things.

Why would they not self regulate? Like eating grit, oyster shell etc? Gorging on sand seems like a different health issue. I’m genuinely curious. I could find nothing on actual sand impaction in crops. At the end of the day I need to figure out if sand poses a risk to my birds. But I’m not finding anything to support that. (Other than the wrong sand). My sand is washed construction sand so it’s rather gritty and smallish pebbles. Could that have contributed to sand impaction, using the wrong sand, like play sand?

 

[MysteryChicken]

Why would they not self regulate? Like eating grit, oyster shell etc? Gorging on sand seems like a different health issue. I’m genuinely curious. I could find nothing on actual sand impaction in crops. At the end of the day I need to figure out if sand poses a risk to my birds. But I’m not finding anything to support that. (Other than the wrong sand). My sand is washed construction sand so it’s rather gritty and smallish pebbles. Could that have contributed to sand impaction, using the wrong sand, like play sand?

Sent a link.

 

[The Good Grumble]

Sent a link.

I found that one too! Haha! I’m looking. However she doesn’t say what kind of sand, and also added that she feeds grass clippings. The Sussex could potentially of over eaten the sand because of the fibrous nature of the grass clippings not grinding effectively in the gizzard. (and we also don’t know the age of the grass clippings)

I think this may be an issue of the wrong sand, with fibrous material causing the initial impaction.

That’s why I like studies, anecdotal leaves to many open ended questions, so there is almost no way to know.

I’ll keep researching. I always want best practice for my birds. But I’m coming up empty on this one.

ETA spellcheck got me.