How Do Chickens Pee?

You might think chickens are very simple and understandable animals. However, there are so many myths about how they eat, poop, and sleep. Some questions can be easily answered through observations but some are not that easy to be understood. “How do chickens pee?” is one of the queries.

The information relating to chicken urinate in this article will not only help you understand your poultry but also gives you some hints about their health status.

Do chickens pee?

Chickens do pee but the way they urinate is different from mammals as chickens have no bladder. Chicken’s pee is the crystal, which is the white paste released with its stool from its body through the cloaca. The pee and poop roll into one, which is why their waste is moist chicken poop. The pee or urine is the white streaks, and the poop is the green solid substance.

So you will see them peeing every time they poop.

Read More: How Do Chickens Sleep at Night? Learn how chickens sleep, how they sleep standing, and the various sleep stages they experience!

How do chickens pee? Do they pee and poop from the same hole?

Chickens pee and poop, even lay eggs or mates from the same hole, which is called the vent or cloaca. 

Both fecal excrement and eggs both pass out from the cloaca, however, there are 3 chambers inside the cloaca cavity and they connect to different ends. One chamber attaches to the colon, one connects to the ureter, and the last one links to the opening of the vent.

Once an egg is formed, it will pass through the vent to the cloaca on its way out of the chicken. When the chicken begins to lay an egg, it uses pressure to close the door to the colon to prevent the egg from being covered in poo. Therefore, chicken eggs do not travel through the colon, where the fecal excrement is produced, but both the poop and eggs exit from the same hole.

Read our related article, How Does a Chicken Lay an Egg? We explore the cycle of egg-making in this guide all about hens!

Why don’t chickens pee out liquid like mammals?

Chickens do not pee out liquid urine. This is because they don’t have a bladder. Actually, not only chickens but also most bird creatures are born without a bladder, which allows them to fly easily.

They have shaped a light body with small frames and hollow bones by evolution. Mammals create urea from their protein digestion and it is passed out in the form of pee. Yet for chickens, the protein is processed and formed into uric acid, which is the white layer seen on the droppings.

How often do chickens pee?

Chickens pee and poop about every 20 minutes. So the approximate times they get rid of their waste is between 20 and 40 times daily. This characteristic keeps them light most of the time even though chickens do not fly long distances as other birds.

Both chicken’s pee and poo can be used as a very good fertilizer. Chickens combine all their excreted waste with unprocessed food to create a mixture of waste, then expel them in a single movement. This concentrated mixture of waste has a lot of nitrogen, excellent food for plants.

Read More: How Often Do Canada Geese Poop? It’s more than you think!

Benefits of this chicken urinating habit

This chicken urination habit benefits chicken owners. Imagine the chickens just pee urine like mammals as much as they naturally poop now, the large amount of urine would soak the bedding that contains bacteria and is very smelly. Also, it requires the chicken owners to sanitize the chicken coops frequently.

Did you know: How Long Do Roosters Live?

How to prevent problems in chicken urinating? 

There are several solutions to avoid problems in chicken urinating.

1. Control high protein diets for chickens

A high protein feed can result in chickens creating too much uric acid. It would exhaust the chickens and they may face gout, which is quite dangerous if not be treated properly and in time.

2. Provide chickens with sufficient water

Ensure there is always enough water for your chickens. Though they do not urinate they still need a sufficient amount of water to survive. The water helps the chicken’s kidneys to remove toxins and surplus uric acid in its system.

Read More: Can Chickens Swim or Float? Deep water can spell disaster for a flock of chickens. Learn all you need to know about keeping chickens safe around water!

3. Feed chickens suitable diets

Do not feed chickens grains and processed foods of other livestock or humans. If it is once in a while, it might be fine. But if it happens frequently, you are putting your chickens in danger as the feed products for others might not include balanced vitamins and minerals for chickens to function well.

4. Say No to laying pellets for young chickens

Laying pellets are only appropriate for hens that have started laying eggs. These contain a high level of protein and calcium, which is too much for a young chicken and can have a harmful impact on the kidney.

Read More: How Are Chicken Eggs Fertilized by a Rooster? to learn about the reproductive process of chickens!

Conclusion

It is easy but also a little bit tricky to raise and look after chickens, hence it is critical to know how chickens’ bodies work so that we can notice potential problems if any. How chickens pee is different from other livestock or mammals, but now you are well-informed, if there is the moist poop with the while layer deposited on it in the coop, things are working the way they should.