Hen eating wood shavings

[KathyR]

My 3yr old hen has been very sick and appeared to be near death twice. Her appetite is good. Now all of a sudden she started eating wood shavings, I should say devouring them. She is in a crate due to being sick and I have had to cover the bedding with a towel.. It seems like she is obsessed with them. What would cause this behavior? She has constant access to her regular layer crumble and been feeding scrambled eggs.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Maybe she wants a little grit? My hens eat shavings too occasionally out of the nest boxes.

 

[KathyR]

I never noticed her do this before. It only started when I started feeding her the scrambled eggs, also was the same time I brought her inside. Would stress cause this?

 

[Den in Penn]

Stress can make them do seemingly odd things. Or maybe her illness has knocked out her taste bud or make her want some roughage. Try gibing her some fibrous vegetables.

 

[KathyR]

Well once I moved her crate out into the coop she stopped eating the shavings. I guess you were right about it being stress. Thanks

 

[PigeonButt]

I have been having this issue as well. My speckled Sussex, Gertrude is a year old next week. We have been battling a sour, slightly pendulous crop for a month now. As of late she has been eating feathers off the ground and wood shavings in the coup. (I emptied her crop this morning) I am at a loss as to how I can help her. She only seems to get better while on a crop mobility drug that I had to inject twice daily. Any ideas? I read that it could be a lack of protein in her diet and started giving her cat food and a bit of tuna this morning. Prior to this there was no issues and she would roam the yard pecking and eating anything she pleased.

I have to say I have a bit of an attachment to my girl and have been losing a little sleep ever since this started. Any ideas and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Peepers23]

Newbie question I have a 12 wk old Cochin Hen that kicks shaving into he water and the rushes over and gobbles them up. I'm worried this will harm her. What should I do?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Newbie question I have a 12 wk old Cochin Hen that kicks shaving into he water and the rushes over and gobbles them up. I'm worried this will harm her. What should I do?

Put your waterer up on bricks or something so she can still reach it but it won't get shavings in it hopefully.