Why on earth do chickens eat Styrofoam?

[notabitail]

Why do chickens love Styrofoam? Ours eat that stuff if they find a piece of it, and run around with chunks thrice the size of their heads.

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

Why do chickens love Styrofoam? Ours eat that stuff if they find a piece of it, and run around with chunks thrice the size of their heads.

My ducks do the same
One of my small sides came off the hot tub and I hear a commotion and it’s all my ducks eating it
I had ti block it till the cold weather and snow go away

 

[notabitail]

My ducks do the same
One of my small sides came off the hot tub and I hear a commotion and it’s all my ducks eating it
I had ti block it till the cold weather and snow go away

Must be a bird thing.

 

[notabitail]

@TudyBOT why do chickens eat styrofoam

I think TudyBOT only works on its forum page, not this one.

 

[Perris]

Why do chickens love Styrofoam? Ours eat that stuff if they find a piece of it, and run around with chunks thrice the size of their heads.

maybe they're feeding their microbiome

This is copied from Wikipedia page on Polystyrene (styrofoam is a brand of polystyrene foam)
"Polystyrene is generally considered to be non-biodegradable. However, certain organisms are able to degrade it, albeit very slowly.[27]

In 2015, researchers discovered that mealworms, the larvae form of the darkling beetle Tenebrio molitor, could digest and subsist healthily on a diet of EPS.[28][29] About 100 mealworms could consume between 34 and 39 milligrams of this white foam in a day. The droppings of mealworm were found to be safe for use as soil for crops.[28]

In 2016, it was also reported that superworms (Zophobas morio) may eat expanded polystyrene (EPS).[30] A group of high school students in Ateneo de Manila University found that compared to Tenebrio molitor larvae, Zophobas morio larvae may consume greater amounts of EPS over longer periods of time.[31]

In 2022 scientists identified several bacterial genera, including Pseudomonas, Rhodococcus and Corynebacterium, in the gut of superworms that contain encoded enzymes associated with the degradation of polystyrene and the breakdown product styrene.[32] "

 

[Isadora]

Because they don't realize it's not food, lol
The unusual texture of Styrofoam is probably appealing to them

 

[TwoCrows]

Unfortunately it's because they can. They will try and taste pretty much everything on the ground including staples, nails, pieces of plastic, you name it, it gets into their mouths and some of it gets swallowed. Their beaks also feel texture and sometimes they just want to feel it. Gotta keep the chicken yard clean.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Because it's there. Not the brightest bulbs in the box.

 

[notabitail]

Because it's there. Not the brightest bulbs in the box.

True. Last time I got chicks, none of them were glowing at all. (We're getting more today)

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

True. Last time I got chicks, none of them were glowing at all. (We're getting more today)

Maybe these ones will have a little glow