If you raise chickens, you will notice that the ground and floor of the coop lack urine. Most animals will urinate, but what about chickens?
Do Chickens Pee?
Yes, chickens do pee. However, it’s not the same way that humans and many other mammals do.
Like most birds, chickens lack a urinary bladder or an external urethral opening. It’s much different from humans as the urine is collected in the bladders. Then when we need to pee, the urine exits through the urethra.
Chickens, on the other hand, lack these bodily functions. So how would a chicken pee then?
How Does a Chicken Urinate?
Some people don’t see their chickens urinating and will come up with different theories.
One of them is that chickens urinate through their skin. Unfortunately, this isn’t true. Chickens do not urinate through their skin. They are unable to since they don’t have any sweat glands.
Instead, chickens and like most other birds have a distinct way of urinating. Chickens produce uric acid. The uric acid crystals are not water-soluble. It will end up with fecal matter.
If you look closely at the chicken poop, you’ll see tiny white crystals in it.
How Does Not Having Liquid Urine Help Chickens?
Many birds are capable of flying, and that includes chickens. Since they can fly, they will need to be light as possible. In order to reduce weight, liquid urine is eliminated. After all, the liquid is heavy and can put a lot more weight on the chicken.
Also, chickens will poop often. An adult chicken will eliminate waste every 20-30 minutes. They are producing uric acid often and removing it when they defecate. Not just chickens, but for most other birds as well.
What Makes Up a Chicken’s Excretory System?
The excretory of a chicken is similar to those of humans. A chicken will have 2 kidneys, which is the main part of its excretory system.
The kidney has 3 main duties which include maintaining water levels, the balance of electrolytes, and removing metabolic wastes from the body.
Each kidney has a ureter that connects to the cloaca. The cloaca is a cavity that serves many purposes, and one of them is releasing excrement from the chicken.
The health of the kidney is very important to the overall health of the chicken. If the kidney becomes damaged, the rest of the body will not be able to function properly. If the kidney is too damaged, death can occur.
How Does The Chicken’s Excretory System Work?
Chickens have kidneys that collect urine. Then it’s sent through the ureters and to the cloaca.
From the cloaca, it will through a process called reverse peristalsis occurs, which simply reroute the urine and force it back into the chicken’s large intestine.
When the urine is in the large intestine, the body will try to absorb any excess water from the urine. The end result will be a white pasty glob of uric acid.
As the fecal matters exit the chicken, the uric acid will come out as well.
How To Prevent Chickens From Having Urinary Problems
Prevent Dehydration
It’s important that the chickens have plenty of water to drink throughout the day. While they don’t pee, they still need water to keep their organs functioning properly.
The water helps the chicken’s kidney filter out the toxins and excess uric acid from its system.
Avoid High Protein Diets
When chickens eat food that is high in protein, it will result in a lot of uric acids. Too much of the uric acid will be too much for their bodies to handle. This will lead to gout in chickens, which is a disease that can be fatal for them.
Avoid Feeding Layer Feed To Young Chickens
Layer feeds or pellets are formulated for hens that are laying eggs. This type of feed contains very high levels of protein and calcium. Both of these nutrients are not suitable for a young chicken’s body, which will cause their kidney not to function properly.
Feed Only Food That Is Specially For Chickens
Most food that is safe for humans will usually be safe for chickens as well. However, there is some food that can harm them when it’s fed to them in excess. This could be things like French fries, hot dogs, and other processed foods. Not only will it affect their health, but could be deadly as well.
Chickens should be fed chicken feeds on a daily basis. The feeds are formulated with the proper balance of vitamins and minerals to keep them healthy and strong.
Related Questions
Do chicken eggs come out at the same place as their poop?
Yes, chicken eggs will come out from the same place as their poop. The cloaca is where both the eggs and poop exit from the chicken.
However, the cloaca cavity houses 3 different chambers. One of the chambers connects to the colon, another connects to the ureter, and the last one connects to the opening of the vent.
During egg-laying, the opening to the colon will be closed off due to the pressure from the egg. This is what prevents the egg from being covered with poop.
Do chickens pee and poop at the same time?
Yes, chickens do pee and poop at the same time. The excretory system is unique, and it’s designed to prevent urine from being stored as a liquid. The lighter the birds are, the easier it will be for them to fly.
If you look carefully at the chicken poop, you will see white uric acid in it. The uric acid is their urine, but in the form of a paste.
