In our daily life, many people may be confused by this: why do we see native chickens eating stones? However, this is actually a very common phenomenon in nature. This wise practice is that the chicken helps to grind and digest food by finding and ingesting stones.
The chicken stomach contains a structure called a gizzard. When chickens ingest food, the food first reaches the gizzard. The main function of the gizzard is to store and grind food for the subsequent digestion process. During the ingestion of the food by the chickens, if they also ingest some small stones, these small stones will mix with the food in the gizzard and help the food grind by rubbing against each other.
Stones are effective in helping chickens break up hard foods, such as seeds, grains, etc., so that they can be more effectively degraded by liquid and solid digestive enzymes. At the same time, the ingested stones can also circulate in the chicken's body, which is constantly used to grind new food. In particular, chickens do not devour rocks, they pick the right size and excrete them through their excrement when they are too small to be used.
The phenomenon of chickens eating stones is actually an ingenious setting given by nature to creatures. It perfectly solves the problem that chickens have no teeth and cannot grind food like humans and other mammals. That's why in farmland, especially in places with a lot of chickens, you'll find that there are often fewer rocks than in other places.
It's all thanks to the wisdom of nature, and we need to respect and protect the life cycle of this nature. The wonder of nature lies in the details, with each animal having its own unique survival skills and habits that make up the magnificent ecosystems we see today.