Eating the feathers

[fairie]

I have noticed one of our hens has been pecking at the Toms/Jakes and when she gets a feather...she eats it! What is that about?!?

 

[Lauren Kim]

crazy hens these days...

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have noticed one of our hens has been pecking at the Toms/Jakes and when she gets a feather...she eats it! What is that about?!?

What do you feed them? Could be craving protein. I have on occasion seen hens plucking at the toms but it shouldn't be happening frequently. A ration with 18-22% protein is a good amount to prevent deficiencies.

 

[fairie]

Currently, I am feeding them a "finishing pellets" to get them ready for Christmas. I saw her do it again today, walked right over to a feather on the ground and gobbled it up!
I also give them a large bucket of greens ( dandelion, clover, nettle ) and some odd apples every day. I live in Germany the bag of pellets says 15%raw protein.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Could be she's craving more protein or just likes feathers. You could try a higher protein ration.

 

[Attila the Hen]

Could be she's craving more protein or just likes feathers. You could try a higher protein ration.

Hi there oldhenlikes dogs.
I give my birds mealworms and if there's any leftover chicken they love that too. I wondered if they are getting enough protein since they eat the same feed as the chickens.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Hi there oldhenlikes dogs.
I give my birds mealworms and if there's any leftover chicken they love that too. I wondered if they are getting enough protein since they eat the same feed as the chickens.

What is the protein content of your ration? I feed everyone an All Flock with 18% protein, plus a bit of scratch. I had problems when I fed a layer.

 

[Attila the Hen]

What is the protein content of your ration? I feed everyone an All Flock with 18% protein, plus a bit of scratch. I had problems when I fed a layer.

I don't know off hand. In the past I've got a higher protein ratio but I think it's ordinary chicken feed right now. I will have to follow up on this with you--don't mean to hijack someone else's post though I guess this discussion would be helpful to others. Thanks!