Chickens eating feathers

[vicki017]

I've read a couple posts on this however I don't think mine have a nutrition problem. They don't pull their feathers out or anything it's only when there's a feather on the floor that one will grab it with others chasing it all over. I can't tell if they are trying to eat it on purpose or not but when I grab the feather from them about half the feather would be gone from being in their beak. They are 5 weeks old (6 of them) and when they were smaller if they jumped and the little feathers came off them they would eat them. I give them boiled eggs every few days for the past week or so. Is it normal for them to do this? (I try taking away all the feathers I find in their cage so I won't have to worry and I'm going to start giving them grit in the next few weeks) any ideas/tips?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

What type of ration are you feeding them? I only feed a good chick starter for the first 8 weeks. They could be doing it from boredom too. How big is their area, at that age they should be going outside during nice days, they get mentally and physically bored after about two weeks old, and should start going to another larger place to spend the day.

 

[vicki017]

What type of ration are you feeding them? I only feed a good chick starter for the first 8 weeks. They could be doing it from boredom too. How big is their area, at that age they should be going outside during nice days, they get mentally and physically bored after about two weeks old, and should start going to another larger place to spend the day.

Feeding them the 16% chick starter I believe might be 18% I'd have to check, we let them out of their cage like 3 times a day into our living room/kitchen. They backyard isn't set up for them yet. We were going to have a fenced in area for them so we don't have to worry about them flying over our backyard fence or under our deck.

 

[vicki017]

This is what they're in currently (it's part of the smaller coop that will be in their area outside)

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It does look like they are close to going outside, I would wean them off the heat, they don't need it in the house with that much feathering. I guess I wouldn't worry about them eating the feathers. I think it's just something to do, probably similar to eating bugs and worms which they would do outside.

 

[vicki017]

It does look like they are close to going outside, I would wean them off the heat, they don't need it in the house with that much feathering. I guess I wouldn't worry about them eating the feathers. I think it's just something to do, probably similar to eating bugs and worms which they would do outside.

Ok thanks I just let them out but now I got one with a bleeding foot I'll have to do another thread on