Sure enough, chickens do eat feathers. But why do chickens eat feathers? This article goes into why they eat feathers and other questions you may be asking yourself.
Chickens eat feathers because of bullying, over mating, moulting, nutrient deficiencies, parasitic attacks, or disease. Generally, if these birds are in good health and are safe they won’t eat feathers. You as a chicken owner either need to medicate the bird or isolate it depending on the situation.
Chickens do and eat a number of unusual things. From eating rocks to digging in the grass to yawning when they aren’t tired. They also eat feathers. If you’re reading this article you may be wondering if it’s a sign of a health issue or something chickens normally do. Whether you’re a bird lover, bird owner or are simply curious, this article looks into it.
Chickens feathers have been used for many things, as food as well it seems. Feathers have been used as bedding, colourful jewellery even as writing tools. Feathers have an unpleasant odour when burnt, so I imagine they don’t taste that good? Predators that feed on chickens don’t even want to eat the feathers, so why would chickens?
Table of Contents
Why do chickens eat feathers?
Feather eating chickens are desperately making a silent cry for help. Besides the natural lightly feathered spot beneath the wings of hens, if any other bald spots start to appear and if you start to see chickens pecking and eating feathers, you need to act quickly to save your bird. Balding can occur all over the bird but it is often seen near the tail feathers.
Bald spots can happen because of parasites like lice and mites. Parasites attach themselves to the chickens’ skin underneath the feathers causing visible red spots where weakened feathers have fallen out. Chickens with try to get at the parasites by plucking feathers and even swallowing them.
Balding spots on or at the back of a hen’s neck can be the result of aggressive or too frequent mating. Roosters can become aggressive while mating, they may pluck, swallow, and eat a few feathers from hens during the process. It may be necessary for you to isolate the hen to keep her safe as she recuperates.
Balding spots that are bloody or have patches of scab is often a sign that there are bully chickens in the set, pecking, pulling, and eating away at their feathers. If this continues, they could seriously hurt even kill the bullied bird. You need to pay attention to who the bullies are and isolate them. It’s best to quickly remove the damaged bird first to keep it safe and healthy.
Balding patches can also mean nutrient deficiencies and ageing. Just like us, when they grow old their skin and feathers lose their strength and feathers fall loose. Deficiencies in protein nutrients or imbalances can throw off their hormonal levels result in chickens getting a beak full of feathers when they preen themselves.
Why do chickens have feathers?
Feathers are essential to birds like chickens. It’s their first line of defence against weather conditions and the earth’s rough terrain. Feathers are also a bird’s beauty suit, the multicoloured coats make rooters especially proud.
Some chickens even have feathers on their legs. Some chicks may have tiny hair-like feathers which look like beards. Some even have naturally missing feathers on their necks. Yet feathers are necessary to protect the bird. Feathers also allow them to fly even though they’re poor fliers.
At what age do chickens molt?
Shedding feathers every now and then is normal. As birds grow older their feathers moult, during this process they shed feathers, sometimes new ones grow and at later stages, they don’t.
Wild and free-range chickens will moult between 6 – 8 weeks of age. At that point, baby chicks are getting their new feathers. Between 7 – 12 weeks rooters are easily distinguished as they moult, new colourful feathers appear. Over the life span of chickens an annual moult occurs between every 16 – 18 months for mature chickens. Moulting doesn’t leave fully bald spots and often you can see the newer feathers growing out.
Why do chickens fluff their feathers?
It can get a bit warm under all that fluff of feathers. Occasionally chickens fluff their feathers to ventilate and cool down. Fluffing their feathers also allows them to regulate their temperature by warming up as well. At social get-togethers fluffing of feathers may signal a disagreement and moody statement between chickens.
What disease causes chickens to lose feathers?
Certain fungal infections can also lead to feather loss. Fungal infections like yeast infections in humans can cause feathers to fall out near the rear end of chickens. Vent Gleet is a common fungus which causes chickens to lose their feathers.
This causes other symptoms including messy and yellow poop followed by declining bird activity. Vent gleet is contagious to other birds so it’s best to isolate and medicate the sick bird as fast as possible. Preventing vent gleet requires frequent cleaning of coops to prevent fungal growth.
Why do chickens lose feathers around their bum?
Moulting of feathers starts from the head and neck of chickens, vent gleet and other balding sicknesses strike near the bum and rear ends of chickens. It’s a rule of thumb that any balding happening near chicken bums need immediate attention.
Are chickens cannibalistic?
Cannibalism is really a human ideal since no other animal regularly preys on us for food. Chickens are indifferent and eat only to survive. If you threw chicken pieces to some hungry chickens they will eat it up, but that’s not really being cannibalistic. Chickens won’t hunt other chickens for food or eat feathers for no apparent reason.
Conclusion
When chickens eat feathers or have balding patches its signs of bullying, over mating, moulting, nutrient deficiencies, parasitic attacks, or disease. Providing immediate care is in the best interest of that bird and other birds to maintain safety and stop disease infections. Balding chickens with missing feathers require your immediate attention.
If you’re interested in chickens you may also be interested in these articles: why do chickens wag their tails, when do chickens start laying eggs after winter, how to get chickens to sleep on the roost, why do chickens have wings, how to get chickens to lay bigger eggs, why do chickens cluck, click the links to read more.