is it normal?

[easteregger96]

Is it normal for chickens to eat feathers? Just wondering. I saw one of mine eating a feather the other day and the first thought that came to mind was " That might be a little rough coming back out later". I don't know if it will stop them up and keep them from pottying? Then, I thought "Maybe she is missing something in her diet". I thought it was wierd. I just saw the one chicken do it one time. Maybe she thought it was a bug or something? I'm just a little confused by it. Does anyone know?

 

[Mark & Nique]

Normal.

 

[muddyhorse]

birds will put ANYTHING in their mouths. rocks, earrings, snakes, weather stripping, .......

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Feathers have a lot of methionine in them. It's one of the more limited amino acids in plant based diets. They add synthetic methionine to plant based chicken feeds, to try to compensate.

 

[Judy]

It's normal as an occasional thing, but not if they start pulling each others' feathers and eating them frequently. Then, usually, it is because of too little protein in the diet. There is a thread or two on the FAQ page about problem feather picking.

 

[easteregger96]

Thanks for the input you guys. I have started giving my chickens more food from the house ( supper leftovers) and they seem to be getting better. Not so much feather eating anymore!