Paint chips

[greggooo]

Does anyone else have chickens that seek out paint chips when they free range? I swear, mine are like little addicts.

 

[BantammChick]

What are you feeding them? Maybe they are looking for nutrients.
Hope this helps!

 

[Hardknockshomestead]

Does anyone else have chickens that seek out paint chips when they free range? I swear, mine are like little addicts.

My 18 hens pecked at the paint on the outside of their coop all summer and fall. The coop is a repurposed milk house.
We are in northwest Wisconsin and the days have gotten shorter. Snow on the ground. I had expected them to lay fewer eggs, but to my surprise, we are still getting 16 to 17 eggs each day!!

I say, maybe we have super special paint on the coop!

(Maybe we just have awesome chickens!)

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I would ask what you are feeding too. Do you offer free choice oyster shells and grit?

 

[greggooo]

They have layer feed 16%, and then mash every other day with feather fixer, 18%, since there are a few still molting. Besides that, they have grit and oyster shell available and they get treats of grubblies, meal worms, and scrambled eggs sometimes, and sunflower seeds.

We did notice when we insulated their first coop with the rigid foam, when they found a section of it, it seemed to be the most exciting thing to eat. With all of our house renovations, there are still paint chips here and there.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Maybe they are craving lead? I know chickens seem to have a thing for foam insulation. I haven't figured out why yet. I guess paint chips should go in that weird pile too.

 

[BantammChick]

They have layer feed 16%, and then mash every other day with feather fixer, 18%, since there are a few still molting. Besides that, they have grit and oyster shell available and they get treats of grubblies, meal worms, and scrambled eggs sometimes, and sunflower seeds.

We did notice when we insulated their first coop with the rigid foam, when they found a section of it, it seemed to be the most exciting thing to eat. With all of our house renovations, there are still paint chips here and there.

Seems that you are feeding them well.

 

[Hardknockshomestead]

Oh yes ours loved the foam insulation we sprayed to fill holes and cracks when we were getting the milk house ready for our chickens!
So I guess we also fed our chooks well!
Lol Harrah to paint chips and spray foam!

 

[Hardknockshomestead]

Hurrah! Not harrah!
Leave it to spell check to ruin a perfectly good punchline!

Seriously, we know that our chickens are going to sometimes get away with eating stuff that could be bad for them. Can't watch them all the time. We just try our best to be good owners and try not to be too worried.
It does seem that you are feeding your chickens plenty of great stuff!

 

[Folly's place]

Most importantly, is this lead paint? Test it!!!
If your birds are eating lead in any form or amount, it's in their eggs (and bodies) forever, and inedible. There's no safe level of lead that's okay to eat!!!
Mary