THE STRAIGHT SCOOP ABOUT CHICK POOP

Did you know that songbirds will eat their chicks’ poop?  Yep, for the first few days after the little chick’s hatch the parents will eat their poop.  Eventually the parents carry the chicks’ poop from the nest.  That is possible because the chicks’ poop is covered with a thick mucus that the parents can pick up and remove.  These are called fecal sacs.  All this effort keeps the nest clean which reduces parasites and the likelihood of a predator finding the nest.  I really can’t make this crap up (pun intended of course!)