chickens eating molted feathers?

[subhanalah]

My babies are molting, and I just watched one of my pullets pull out a feather, play with it a little bit...then eat it in one gulp!?!

What's up with that? Is this normal? She also likes to eat dog hair, why do I have a feeling I'm gonna be having problems with this one?

 

[ChickensRDinos]

My initial thoughts would be to consider if it possible she is not getting enough protein or is bored. Those are too of the most common causes of feather eating, the other being overcrowding but if the behavior is not aggressive, but rather eating feathers and hair that have already fallen out, then I doubt it is overcrowding.

 

[subhanalah]

There are four of them, and they have a 5x5 area to play in during the day. They have their chick feed and they get duckweed (very high in protein).
They play and fly and dustbathe all day. She's been a hair eater since she was a chick, and I'm terribly concerned its going to bind her up one day. None of the other three do this.

 

[barnaclebob]

All of mine ate their soft downy feathers when they were young. Not sure if it was a protein deficiency but they were acting normal at the time...

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Its normal. The shed feathers still have some residual protein, the chickens are just being efficient.
If they aren't aggressively plucking each other and eating them, let them have at em and get some of that protein back!