Too much poo

[jailerjoe]

Hello,

Newbie chicken question. I use the deep litter method and typically rake my coop once or twice a week. Today, when I went out to rake I noticed substantially more poop beneath the roost then normal. Like a like more. Big clumps of it. The only change to my chickens diet this week was that I cut a pumpkin in half and gave it to them. They loved it. I've read that pumpkin is a natural wormer so figured what the heck.

Their typical diet consists of layer mash, oyster shell, a bit of scratch and the occasional treat: watermelon rind, sprouted seeds/grains, corn on the cob, tomatoes from the garden, etc. They typically spend two thirds or so of the day in the coop/run and a third free ranging.

Could the pumpkin be the cause of the massive increase in poop?

Thanks,

Joe

 

[Folly's place]

Yes! They probably ate a lot because it's so tasty, no harm done. Mary

 

[katelk]

I agree with Mary. The poops will increase when they have access to yummy treats like that. Another thing to note is that with pumpkin, it is also totally normal to see some bright orange poos!

 

[aart]

How old are they?
Pullet poops are nothing compared to layer poops, they triple in size!

 

[donrae]

Any chance you had birds that weren't sleeping on the roost, that started? That would be my other thought.

 

[jailerjoe]

We got them as week old chicks April 6th.

 

[jailerjoe]

Any chance you had birds that weren't sleeping on the roost, that started? That would be my other thought.

Nope. They all sleep on the roost.

 

[CrazyTalk]

Pumpkin is not a wormer - there's been quite a bit of research on it, and it actually led to higher worm loads in most livestock - most likely because its a laxative and constantly being fed laxatives is tough on any animal.