2 month old chick tries to eat everything

[loyalcrowlist]

I have a pullet that's 2 months old. She's the only one of the very small clutch of eggs my bantam cochin was sitting on that hatched. She's also the only chick I've had raised by a hen.

And she tries to eat everything. She eats pieces of bedding and her own feathers. If you try to stop her, she freaks out: high pitched squawking/screeching, trying to run away, etc. My kids were holding her and a piece of bedding fell onto the couch and she lunged for it. I've never seen a chick act like this.

Is there something wrong with her? I never noticed the mama hen hoarding food or preventing her from eating, if anything the chick steals any snacks or treats we give and eats them as quickly as possible. She's on grower feed and gets treats like peas, tomatoes, some fruit occasionally. I don't want to take her to the vet for something that might be a personality thing but also I'm really afraid she'll find and eat something bad for her or get an impacted crop.

 

[Kiki]

I'd suggest stopping all of the treats and only give her only the crumbled grower feed.
She may not be getting enough of it/a balanced diet.

 

[loyalcrowlist]

I'd suggest stopping all of the treats and only give her only the crumbled grower feed.
She may not be getting enough of it/a balanced diet.

Yeah, we try to limit it to once a week type thing but I'm going to stop them all. I've been treating her just like all the other chicks I've hatched before but out of 40 something, she's the only one who has done this. Definitely going to cut them all out, though.

 

[loyalcrowlist]

Update to this:

We've stopped all extra treats and she still is attempting to eat anything that she possibly can. Today, my youngest was holding her and she almost ate my earring she pulled out of my ear. I've never seen a chick act like this, ever, and I'm actually not sure what to do.

Could it be some sort of deficiency?

 

[Perris]

May I suggest you try offering her some tinned sardines, good bread soaked in whole, fresh, cow's milk, egg in any form, or scraps of cooked meat. It sounds to me like she's starving for something.

 

[loyalcrowlist]

May I suggest you try offering her some tinned sardines, good bread soaked in whole, fresh, cow's milk, egg in any form, or scraps of cooked meat. It sounds to me like she's starving for something.

Will do! I feel she's a little underweight though I admit my chickens are on the fat size so she could be a normal weight for a chick her age.

I'm thinking of also adding supplements, just in case it's a problem of lacking a vitamin or something.

 

[Perris]

Real food is better nutrition than pills and powders, and animal protein is better for chickens than plant protein. It's also usually cheaper and more accessible.

 

[loyalcrowlist]

Real food is better nutrition than pills and powders, and animal protein is better for chickens than plant protein. It's also usually cheaper and more accessible.

True. I was giving eggs (scrambled) as a treat before so I'll go back to that, I think.

 

[Perris]

add some meat or fish. A growing chick needs protein above all.

 

[loyalcrowlist]

add some meat or fish. A growing chick needs protein above all.

I have some tuna I'll give her. It's strange, I've never had this sort of issue before with any of my chicks. I'm using the same food as always but I might switch to a different brand as well just to be safe.