Dog eating chicken manure

[SweetTea&Chicks]

My dog has been chicken poop lately. TONS OF IT. She's been eating it off the mule whenever it's around. The poop is from chickens that are being raised for meat. It has made her start gagging. Should we be worried and do we need to take her to the vet. Thanks!

 

[Pyxis]

I doubt the poop itself will hurt her, but she could get worms eating their poop like that if the chickens have worms. You might want to keep her out of the chicken area and not allow her access to eat any more.

 

[heatherlaw]

My aunts dog did this so she asked her vet about it. The vet said that chicken poop is actually pretty high in protein and good bacteria so it acts like a probiotic for dogs. I wouldn’t worry. My dog has been eating it as part of her regular diet for 3 years now. She hasn’t had an issue yet. It’s just gross.

 

[kip5254]

My dog has been chicken poop lately. TONS OF IT. She's been eating it off the mule whenever it's around. The poop is from chickens that are being raised for meat. It has made her start gagging. Should we be worried and do we need to take her to the vet. Thanks!

My dog has been doing the same thing. Not TONS of it, but every chance she gets she eats it. So far she's been totally fine, but it makes me nervous too.

 

[lazy gardener]

My dog regularly snacks on chicken poo. It saves me from having to scoop the chicken bombs up off the foot paths. However, I give one warning: never kiss your dog on the lips.

 

[heatherlaw]

I doubt the poop itself will hurt her, but she could easily get worms eating their poop like that if the chickens have worms. I would keep her out of the chicken area and not allow her access to eat any more.[/

This is true but if you are good about keeping your chickens dewormed then this is not a concern. You can take a sample of your chickens poop to your local vet for a fecal float to tell you if they have worms. Its usually an inexpensive test. Worth doing periodically.

 

[heatherlaw]

Just noticed you are a new member of the flock. Glad to see you here!

 

[Pyxis]

This is true but if you are good about keeping your chickens dewormed then this is not a concern. You can take a sample of your chickens poop to your local vet for a fecal float to tell you if they have worms. Its usually an inexpensive test. Worth doing periodically.

Definitely, I just know some people do not worm their chickens, especially meat birds that they are going to be eaten soon like the OP has, so it was worth mentioning.

 

[SweetTea&Chicks]

Thanks so much! She's gonna stop having access to it in a few days so she should be fine. I wanted to make sure it wouldn't turn into anything serious. Thanks again!

 

[heatherlaw]

Definitely, I just know some people do not worm their chickens, especially meat birds that they are going to be eaten soon like the OP has, so it was worth mentioning.

Yeah that definitely makes sense, though not everyone can separate their chickens into their own area. I can’t. I don’t worm my chickens either. I use an herbal preventative and check for worms occasionally. The fecal float just checks for worms. I want organic eggs and meat and have never had to worm since I started using preventative measures.