Why is my hen eating paint?

[jeepone]

We have a one year old Golden Comet hen that peels pain off the house and eats it. She's like a toddler! If you go to take a big piece away from her she swallow it as fast as she can.

The house is cinderblock with a stucco-like exterior. We had it painted a few years ago but some places are starting to peel again.

Anyone else ever experience this?

BTW......I had a hard time figuring out which topic to post this under.

 

[cherrynberry]

Yep, chickens like to eat a spectrum of things...they are CURIOUS!

 

[cherrynberry]

Yep, chickens like to eat a spectrum of things...they are CURIOUS!

I have heard of chickens eating:

Earrings
Nails
Insulator
Styrofoam
Leaves

 

[RubelliteRose]

We have the same problem. They don't eat paint anywhere else, but they love the stucco type coating on the cinder blocks at the base of our house. I'm constantly telling my chickens "Don't eat the house"!

 

[BantammChick]

We have a one year old Golden Comet hen that peels pain off the house and eats it. She's like a toddler! If you go to take a big piece away from her she swallow it as fast as she can.

The house is cinderblock with a stucco-like exterior. We had it painted a few years ago but some places are starting to peel again.

Anyone else ever experience this?

BTW......I had a hard time figuring out which topic to post this under.

My chickens eat Styrofoam any chance they get. Could you put a chicken wire or rabbit wire fence around it?

 

[FatChicksDigMe]

It's very likely shes lacking in calcium. I know it's an odd comparison but pregnant women sometimes crave not-supposed-to-be edible things like dirt, chalk, ice, rocks, etc. Its called Pica I think... While chickens are not human, mammals, or necessarily "pregnant" they do require calcium and other trace minerals so they can lay eggs efficiently. Give her some oyster shell or dried/crushed eggshells. That should solve the problem

 

[LizzzyJo]

I think it's the texture. Chipping paint has a good 'mouth feel' for chickens Just make sure there's nothing toxic in it.

 

[RubelliteRose]

It's very likely shes lacking in calcium. I know it's an odd comparison but pregnant women sometimes crave not-supposed-to-be edible things like dirt, chalk, ice, rocks, etc. Its called Pica I think... While chickens are not human, mammals, or necessarily "pregnant" they do require calcium and other trace minerals so they can lay eggs efficiently. Give her some oyster shell or dried/crushed eggshells. That should solve the problem

Mine at least have free access to both oyster shell and crushed eggshells. They still like to eat the house occasionally Heaven forbid they walk the 20 seconds or so back to the run to eat them though.

 

[FatChicksDigMe]

Mine at least have free access to both oyster shell and crushed eggshells. They still like to eat the house occasionally Heaven forbid they walk the 20 seconds or so back to the run to eat them though.

Chickens aren't so different then us I guess. Honestly its probably an acquired taste for them at this point

 

[jeepone]

It's very likely shes lacking in calcium. I know it's an odd comparison but pregnant women sometimes crave not-supposed-to-be edible things like dirt, chalk, ice, rocks, etc. Its called Pica I think... While chickens are not human, mammals, or necessarily "pregnant" they do require calcium and other trace minerals so they can lay eggs efficiently. Give her some oyster shell or dried/crushed eggshells. That should solve the problem

She has oyster she'll readily available in the coop. And I bake and crush chicken and Guinea egg shells and feed them back.