They're eating insulation!

[Cecilia]

I feel like my chickens are insane.

I live in Southern Ontario in Canada, so it gets pretty cold here in the winter. My housemates and I just began insulating our coop with this blue foam insulation a friend of ours found...However, we've put all the insulation up, but didnt have time to put up a second layer of plywood. I was planning on doing this today (we all have pretty intense work/school schedules), but yesterday I found that 2 of the chickens had begun pecking out some of the blue insulation! I'm really nervous about how this will affect them later on...Is this how chickens get an impacted crop? Any advice? They won't have access to it any longer, because its being closed off today...Anyone else have this problem?

OKay;

thanks a lot

cecilia

 

[okiechick57]

um, I had the same problem. Mine were found eating away some foam insulation on my house skirting

I covered it...and they are fine. Here's hoping your chickens will be too

 

[TxChiknRanchers]

Yea I dunno whats up with that! I used white foam board to insulate the new coop and they found a piece on the ground. Pecked it to pieces, figure we will have white foam eggshells for a while.

Randy

 

[silkiechicken]

Get it covered but they should be fine. Mine have eaten styrofoam and it just passes.

 

[Smitty's Farm]

Yep, they are attracted to it for some reason. When we cut into the coop for our pop door the chickens were trying to eat the insulation in between the walls. I had to cover it with duck tape until we could frame it out. It was crazy! I don't know why they like to eat that stuff. That's good that you closed access to it until you can finish the job. We have the same problem with crazy, busy schedules. Mine were fine, but they didn't eat to much before I caught them. Yours should be ok, but just keep an eye on them. Good luck!

 

[SweetLilRachy00]

I just posted another thread before I saw this one. Sorry for the double topics

My chickens are doing the same. I have 12 and a good bit of styrofoam is missing in various places around their door and our house! I have since covered this stuff up, but I feel that it could possibly be dangerous. Doesn't that stuff have chemicals in it to hold it together?

Is it going to digest into their stomachs, or stay in their crop? I really don't know how that crop works...lol....i know gravel stays in it to help break down food...

So, my chickens aren't going to die???