eat each others poos

Marcy · **Joined:** Thu May 19, 2011 10:27 pm **Posts:** 2

Are my chickens lacking in something? They all eat each others poos no sooner have they done a number 2 and the other hens eat it up, sorry I know that sound horrible but is that normal or is there something they need I am not giving them?

Sebducks · **Joined:** Wed Mar 11, 2009 3:41 pm **Posts:** 812

Hi Marcy,

Can you tell us a little more about your situation. How big is the coop they are in, do they get pellets, scratch mix, greens, shell grit? Do you let them free range? Have they been wormed lately? How old are they and what breed?

Marcy · **Joined:** Thu May 19, 2011 10:27 pm **Posts:** 2

Sorry about that, the coop is 3 meters long and 2 meters wide with a sandy floor bedding. I feed them paying pellets and some corn and sunflower seeds and well as a few green just about every day from cooking. No I do not have the shell grit as I have not heard of that. No I can not let them out because if the dogs unfortunately. No I have not wormed them but I think to farm did when I got them, is that the yearly worming? I can not say for certain how old they are but they started to lay eggs in february this year. They are commercial brown hens I think that is what he called them. Thank you for helping and sorry I did not tell you all this the first time

Sebducks · **Joined:** Wed Mar 11, 2009 3:41 pm **Posts:** 812

Thats ok Marcy.

First thing I would do is worm them you can go into your local produce store and ask for poultry wormer, there is one called NILVERM that I use and it is very easy just add to the water following the directions on the bottle. Shell grit can be bought from pet shops and can be left in a container in the pen all the time they will pick at it as they need it. Once you have wormed them I would consider some form of vitamin supplement for awhile for them just to be sure they aren't lacking anything. You can also consider swapping the layer pellets for a good layer mash. Other than that I would consider this to be one of the habits that chooks can pick up, like feather plucking its hard to stop once they start and once you have wormed them and given vitamins if it still continues, other than the yuk factor its not really harmful.

roosty · **Joined:** Mon Dec 28, 2009 7:58 am **Posts:** 17

They're probably trying to get B vitamins... I think it's B-2 (not sure about that, sorry). It's only produced by intestinal bacteria so when there's a deficiency in the feed, chickens will get it from droppings.

On a rustic old fashioned farm they'd be getting the same vitamin from horse poo.

Someone will hopefully correct me on which vitamin it is...

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