05/09/2025
Why do Chickens drink water, but they don't urinate? People often ask me this question.
Here's a brief overview.
Chickens drink water to stay hydrated and support bodily functions like digestion and temperature regulation, but they don't urinate in the same way mammals do because they lack a urinary bladder. 🐔 Instead, their waste is excreted differently.
When a chicken drinks water, its kidneys filter metabolic waste from the blood. This waste, primarily uric acid, is then sent to the cloaca, a single opening that serves as the end point for their digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems.
The uric acid is combined with f***s and is expelled as a semi-solid substance, which you can see as the white part in chicken droppings.
This process helps chickens conserve water, as they excrete waste with minimal water loss compared to liquid urine.