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Chicks eating down?

post #1 of 10
5/21/09 at 5:44pm
Thread Starter 

My chicks are growing up and starting to lose thier down, and they go CRAZY over a little piece of down roll . They chase after it and eat it. Is this normal? is it bad for them?

Have 2 budgerigars, 1 guinea pig, 1 redbone coonhound, 1 Calico Turkish Van cat, 2 koi, 10 goldfish, a Speckled Sussex, a Buff Orpington, a Golden Wyandotte, and a Red Sex-link!

formerly known as joshchicken5
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Have 2 budgerigars, 1 guinea pig, 1 redbone coonhound, 1 Calico Turkish Van cat, 2 koi, 10 goldfish, a Speckled Sussex, a Buff Orpington, a Golden Wyandotte, and a Red Sex-link!

formerly known as joshchicken5
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post #2 of 10
5/21/09 at 5:56pm

Mine do it too!.  I wouldn't want to eat feathers but they do eat some strange stuff.

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post #3 of 10
5/21/09 at 5:58pm

bump - i'd like to know - getting chicks in a couple of weeks!

2 Cats Indoors, and 8 Pullets Outdoors:)
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2 Cats Indoors, and 8 Pullets Outdoors:)
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post #4 of 10
5/21/09 at 5:59pm

Mine did the same thing.  Seems to be perfectly normal for them, LOL.

Lavender Orpington Project, Standard Buff Laced Polish, Black and Lavender bantam cochins.
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Lavender Orpington Project, Standard Buff Laced Polish, Black and Lavender bantam cochins.
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post #5 of 10
5/21/09 at 6:44pm

It's normal.

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HEY LOOK!!! ---> UPCOMING FLORIDA Swaps/Sales/Shows/Events

---> Florida Fair Schedule 2012/2013 and "Where am I? Where are you?" FLORIDA!!!!!ALWAYS SUNNY SIDE UP!!!

Member of the American Poultry Association &

Central Florida Poultry Breeders Association. NPIP Certified Participant

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post #6 of 10
5/21/09 at 6:44pm

High in protein and very good for them.

16 chickens & 17 spoiled rotten Indian runner ducks!
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16 chickens & 17 spoiled rotten Indian runner ducks!
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post #7 of 10
5/21/09 at 6:46pm

I don't think you can worry about the normal natural things in the environment.  Ya' can't watch 'em 24/7, so keep the obviously dangerous things away, and don't fret too much about down, and dirt, and grass, and other things.  Worry about hawks, and snakes, and cocci, and worms, and heat, and water, and fresh food.  That's plenty to worry about.

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Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most.
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post #8 of 10
5/21/09 at 6:48pm

Mine did it too! How funny and strange. It was quite amazing to literally watch them play keep away with the coveted down.tongue

Animal lover, wife, working towards sustainability each and every day. Mommy to 4 hens (1EE, 1NHRed, 1 RI white, 1 BLeghorn), six baby chicks and a new Saint Bernard pup, named Valley!
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Animal lover, wife, working towards sustainability each and every day. Mommy to 4 hens (1EE, 1NHRed, 1 RI white, 1 BLeghorn), six baby chicks and a new Saint Bernard pup, named Valley!
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post #9 of 10
7/2/12 at 10:47am

I've been paying a lot of attention to my chicks since I read this thread.  I've noticed that there is a *lot* of molting down and *none* of it is in the bedding.

 

I watched some of my chicks deliberately pick down off of each other and themselves.

 

And while holding one of my chicks, I tugged a little piece of down out of her feathers and she immediately pecked it out of my grasp and ate it. 

 

I think this is totally normal and something they do to supplement their own diet. 

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post #10 of 10
7/2/12 at 12:16pm

Completely normal 

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