Chickens eating feathers

[LauraSBale]

hi everyone

some of my girls are eating feathers,
their not pulling them out, just what is on the floor or ground

are they lacking something?

Thanks

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Very common for the girls to eat the feathers off of the ground. I have seen them take a good sized feather down the gullet.

Wait until you see them eat the shavings !!

 

[chickenmum]

I've seen a chicken of mine eat feather, too.

 

[LauraSBale]

I just wondered if they were lacking protine or something?

 

[Wildsky]

You might want to boost protein for them and see if that helps.

 

[skand]

ours do it too, esp when they float in the air like a bug.
They have lots of protein, we feed a mix of chicken scratch, game bird maintenence, game bird conditioner, with the added super spur, dry cat food, and kitchen scraps.

 

[swtangel321]

Try giving them some black oil sunflower seeds in there diet, Ive read a few times it's a lack of somthing ( just cant remember what

)

Mine did this during the spring, the sunflower seeds helped !!

Good luck !!

 

[digitS']

It may be that essential amino acid methionine that you are trying to remember.

High levels of methionine can be found in dairy products, fish, and meat. Also sunflower seeds and lentils have fairly good amounts but soybeans are low.

I've read that feather picking is sometimes caused by protein imbalances and methionine is of critical importance. A lot of it is given up in egg production.

Steve

 

[skand]

lol I think they do it, just because. Now, if they are picking each others feathers off until all that's left is a bloody mess, then yes they are missing something in their diet. But like with mine, all the different feeds and the kitchen scraps do include milk/dairy products. Mine do it because they can, not because they are missing anything.