Soft shelled egg help!

[chuckmum6 1]

I suddenly seem to have lots of dark greeny blue poo in my WIR, at first I was concerned, but everyone is healthy and busy doing chicken things. I think it might be the red cabbage I gave the girls, I had been using these in my art lesson to Y4, they had been observed but untouched. So I popped 4 halves in the run to see if the girls would like them, they do, but it seem to affect their poo!

[jennie186 0]

Yes, It is a shock! I tried them on red cabbage as there was some on the reduced shelf. They did eat it with weird poo results. (Blue??)

But they prefer the pointy cabbage, savoy or January king cabbage so I've stuck to those. My two also eat cauliflower, but their favourite vege is pak choi (aka bok choi).

[daxigirl 0]

I know it makes for funky poop doesn't it.

[sjp 0]

do's it affect the eggs at all i.e. the colour of the yolk or white ?

[jackian 0]

I gave mine red curly kale and red cabbage from the allotment and there was bright blue poo..In fact it looked so artificial It could have been dyed .

It did not affect the eggs.

 

Jackie x

[daxigirl 0]

No never noticed any difference in the eggs. Colour stains the shell if they poop on the egg.

[JellyBean2605 0]

Mine go nuts for swede! I've in idea if they are even allowed it but they love it.

[Space Chick 0]

Got to love blue poo from red veg

 

Mine has been eating swede for years with no ill effects

[Valkyrie 382]

Dandelion leaves and beetroot leaves also are a teeny bit of a shocker!

[jennie186 0]

Do you cook the swede? or cut it up? I never buy swede or turnip but will try it for chickens. They are quite fussy - when I first got them they didn't eat anything that wasn't chicken mash or grass. Didn't recognise it as food. Gradually they are eating more varied diet.

[PoachedPlease 0]

Ok quick science explanation coming up....

 

Red cabbage is a natural ph indicator. That means it goes red in acid and blue/green in alkali. Chicken poop is decidedly alkali as it has ammonia in it, but urine is acidic ( ureaic acid) all making for funky poop. How cool. Will mention this to my science class at school

 

Xx