Do Chickens Pee

Chickens, like humans, have an excretory system that is vital to their biology. Their excretory system consists of organs similar to that of humans, most notably the kidney. There are, however, significant differences between the excretory system of chickens and mammals. We are familiar with chicken poop, but the common mythical question is, do chickens pee?

Chickens pee uric acid. A chicken has three lobes connected to its kidney that are located under it’s lungs. Birds generally do not have a urinary bladder. Their pee is a uric acid that is insoluble in water. The appearance of their pee is a whitish paste that’s crystal-like.

Chicken pee, unlike mammalian urine, is not liquid. Their kidney absorbs most of the water back into the loop of Henle, leaving a white smear on their feces. This smear is the appearance of their pee.

Do Chickens Pee

Chickens pee via the cloaca, which is the only excretory opening they have. Their pee which is uric acid, is gotten rid of every time they poop. It frequently occurs between 20-40 times a day. Chickens have active digestive systems that work at all times.

Their pee can be observed in chicken poop. It is a white paste mixed with a liquid excreted as they release their poop through the cloaca. Significant changes in chickens’ droppings usually point to something happening inside their bodies, such as signs of diseases, infections, or their predominant diet.

The color of their droppings has different ranges from brown, green, yellow, tan, and even black. However, most of the time, the droppings are shades of brown and a white paste, which is uric acid and effectively serves as their pee.

High protein foods must be avoided to avoid urinary problems in chickens. It causes too much uric acid for them. They must also drink enough water because dehydration is dangerous for them. Many people are unfamiliar with the process involved in the production of pee in chickens, so the question is, how do chickens pee?

I have written about how much to feed chickens here, learn more, click the link!

How Do Chickens Pee

The process through which chickens pee is quite different from the one experienced in mammals. In chickens, kidneys are crucial when it comes to excretion because they lack a bladder.

 The process by which they pee is called reverse peristalsis. It involves rerouting the chicken’s urine into their large intestines. The chicken’s kidneys are responsible for filtering the chicken’s urine. After the filtering occurs in the kidney, the chickens’ ureters serve as passageways and send the urine to the cloaca.

The cloaca is an essential part of the chicken’s body. It is rarely seen because it is located on the chicken’s body, the rear of the body, and under the tail base. The cloaca serves as the point of the expulsion of feces, waste, and eggs. It is covered with feathers on the lower abdomen. The opening is often referred to as the vent.

Chickens pee regularly along with their poo. Every time they poop, they also excrete uric acid, which is their form of urine. The uric acid is always outside of the poop and is in the form of a white crystal. The feces and urine are combined and pass out in a single motion, and it comes out like a moist mixture.

Do Chickens Pee and Poo Out of the Same Hole

In chickens, the cloaca serves as the overall opening where wastes are dispelled. In more explicit terms, while other animals have allocated openings for eggs, solid, and liquid wastes, chickens employ only a single opening.

The cloaca carries out all of those functions. However, inside the cloaca, some folds are used for separations and divisions of the different functions the cloaca performs.

The organization within the cloaca is neat, and each substance goes depending on the part used. One question that is commonly asked is ‘ do chickens pee through their skin?’ It is a myth going around that chickens urinate through their skin.

It is entirely untrue. Chickens do not perform any excretory function through their skin. They even lack sweat glands. The cloaca, a versatile, multi-purpose opening in chickens and birds, is generally used to pee and poo.

Do Chickens Poo and Pee at the Same Time

When the urine is in the large intestines, the chicken’s body absorbs all of the excess water from it. As a result of the loss of water, the urine is reduced to only a white paste of uric acid. The glob of the white paste is then excreted with the feces.

The pee of chickens is never separated from their poop because they lack a urinary bladder. All metabolic waste removal processes in the chickens’ bodies are coordinated by their kidney. The white layer seen on poop droppings is the pee. Chicken poo is good for fertilizing because it contains a lot of nitrogen due to it being a mixture of all their excreted waste products. 

Typical Chicken Pee (mixed with poop and other wastes)

How Often Do Chickens Pee

Chickens get rid of their urine – uric acid crystals, every time they poop. Chickens pee often, ranging between 20 to 40 times a day. Chickens possess an active digestive system, their digestive system that works at night as well.

Bigger-sized chickens happen to pee and poop less often than smaller-sized chickens. Smaller chickens can release waste within a time frame of every 10 minutes. Average-sized chickens poop and pee with a frequency of about 20-25 minutes.

Although they happen to release frequently, chickens excrete small amounts per time. As a flock owner, one must be conscious of this fact to anticipate how much mess they will make and know how long to hold on to them before they excrete on you.

Conclusion

The question ‘ Do Chickens pee?’ is a popular one. The knowledge of how chickens pee is a mystery to many people. However, it becomes a more enjoyable experience once we discover it and helps us be more informed about this most commonly reared bird. This knowledge enables flock owners to take cognizance of their bird’s health and take good care of them.