As a chicken owner, you will have a lot of responsibility when it comes to caring for your chickens. One of the things that you’ll need to deal with all the time is their poop. You may wonder how often do chickens poop.
So, how often do chickens poop? A chicken that is healthy will poop an average of between 10 to 15 times per day. An adult chicken may poop about every 20 minutes. Baby chickens will poop more around every 5-10 minutes. Chickens will poop throughout the day and night. The poop will vary in consistency and color, which depends on what they ate.
What Is Normal Chicken Poop?
You can determine the health of the chicken by looking at their poop. Poops that are normal signifies the chicken is healthy, while bad poop could mean the chicken is suffering from an illness.
Chicken that is healthy will have normal poop. This means the droppings consist of feces and urates. The waste will be solid brown or grayish and will be firm enough to hold it. Also, the feces will be topped with white urate.
However, normal poop will sometimes change in consistency during different times of the year or due to the food they eat.
Therefore, normal poop will range from brown, yellow to black. If you have chickens that are free-range, they may forage and eat a lot of dark leafy greens. This will result in the chicken producing green poop.
Is Chicken Poop Toxic To Humans?
Yes, chicken poop is toxic to humans since they contain campylobacter and salmonella bacteria.
The bacteria can enter the human body by picking up the feces and not cleaning your hands thoroughly. As the bacteria make their way into the digestive system, it will likely result in sickness (gastroenteritis).
Some of the symptoms of salmonella-induced gastroenteritis include the following:
- Bloody stools
- Diarrhea
- Chills
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle aches and pains
- Nausea
- Stomach Cramps
To prevent this from happening, it’s important to practice good hygiene when dealing with chicken poop.
The first thing is to wear gloves that are rubber or plastic. Cotton gloves will make it easy for the bacteria to cling to them.
The second thing is to wear wellies. Make sure it’s used inside the coop only. When you leave the coop, take off the wellies to avoid cross-contamination. I recommend getting a pair of muck bucks, which is designed for this purpose.
The last thing is to carefully dispose of the chicken waste. Make sure to not dump them close to your local food and water supply. The waste can easily contaminate them.
Do Chickens Poop When They Sleep?
Chickens do poop when they sleep. They are unable to control their poop since they don’t have a sphincter.
Instead, like most birds and reptiles, chickens have a cloaca. This is a passage within the digestive system that wastes and everything else leave the body. This means urine, poop, laying eggs, and mating all take place through the cloaca.
When the chickens are sleeping, it’s a good idea that they are sleeping on their roost, and not in the nest.
How To Deal With Chicken Poop?
One of the responsibilities of a chicken owner is to clean up the chicken poop. This is not only important for the birds, but for you as well.
Feces and poop are breeding grounds for bacteria germs to form. These things will not only make the coop smell bad, but could cause the chickens to get sick as well.
Below are some of the ways to deal with chicken poop:
Pick Up The Poop
It’s a good idea to pick up the feces and poop before they become hard. When it’s left for too long, it will become tough to remove.
Dilute Harden Poop
Once the poop has been sitting for too long, it will become hard and difficult to remove.
To make it easier to remove, spray some water on it and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then scoop the droppings and discard them.
Wash Away Soggy Droppings
Droppings that are wet or damp will be difficult to pick up. For easy removal, spray them away with a hose.
Use Poop As Compost
With all the chicken poop that you’ve collected, place them into your compost bin.
To ensure the poop is broken down efficiently, add leaves, bedding, grass clippings, and leftover vegetables.
Then let it sit for about 6-8 months, and it will turn into rick fertilizer.
Related Questions
How do you know if chickens have salmonella?
Chickens sick with salmonella will show one or more of the following signs:
- Lethargic
- Purplish combs and wattles
- Decrease appetite
- Increased thirst
- Weak
Also, you may notice your chickens have diarrhea that is white, sulfur yellow, or green.
