Hens eating ash??

[tobit]

not sure where to post this but:
We regularly mix ash from our wood burning stove with soil in the chickens dust bath, well, today I didn't mix it and some of the hens started eating the ash and especially small black chunks of burnt wood (that hasn't quite fallen apart yet). Is this a health issue??? I'm not sure why they would do this...

 

[Islander11]

Hmm, this is a very good question.
Hope you get an answer! I'm Curious also!

 

[mimsy]

Pretty much all birds eat ash from time to time if available. There are minerals in it. I wouldn't worry unless they are eating a lot often, then I would wonder if they are missing something in their regular diet.

 

[Outpost JWB]

We have dumped ash from cleaning out our wood burning stove several times back at the coop. The chickens love dust bathing in it & it keeps some parasites away. As long as none of the wood you burnt was pressure treated or chemical treated (starter or chimney sweep logs), they should be just fine

 

[KayTee]

Eating the charred bits of wood is just like us taking charcoal tablets to help with digestion! Chickens eat all sorts of stuff that we would consider bizarre, but as Mimsy says, as long as they are not making it a major part of their diet I wouldn't worry.

 

[tobit]

Ah thanks a lot guys! I'm relieved