Can you feed chickens uncooked rice?

[Skyfeathers]

When we lived in Honduras my husband brought 3 chickens home for our kids as pets. We knew nothing about raising chickens, so asked the villagers what to feed them. We were told to let them scratch around the yard, give them scraps, and white rice every morning and evening. We did, and shortly those 3 became 54! They loved their rice, uncooked, and we never had any problems from it. Here in the US, knowing a bit more, we feed them brown rice and it is their favorite treat. I can hear them in the mornings calling me for it! They had only had layer pellets initially, and I read it was best to train their digestive system to handle grains, so started them out slowly. We have never had any chicken with digestive problems from it. Regarding the sparrow story, size of bird (large chicken vs tiny sparrow) related to quantity eaten (pounds of rice on the ground vs moderate amount given by owner) must surely be considered.

 

[yellowchicks]

There is an old Chinese saying: 偷雞不成蝕把米, which translates to "Trying to steal a chicken only end up losing the rice used to lure it". Figuratively describes trying to gain an advantage only end up worse off. Obviously, the Asian farmers have been feeding their chickens raw rice for a long time, and chickens love it, too. So I think it is pretty safe to feed our chickens raw rice. At least throw a handful in the run to let them scratch for it.

 

[earlyredrooster]

I collect green rice out of the field every year at harvest, along with whole corn, soy beans, milo, sesame seeds, and wheat. This all gets mixed together and fermented. This saves me from buying ANY grains all year. I only have to buy layer pellets.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I would think that it would puff up in them and that would not be good...lets see what others say...

How this first became an urban legend was an article in Ann Landers' lovelorn advice column. Supposedly a church in Texas realized out of the blue that rice thrown at the bride and groom were causing little birdies to explode after they ate their fill of raw rice. The "un-logic" of it is staggering.

If raw rice made birds explode, then corn, barley, wheat, milo, or virtually any cereal grain including laying pellets would turn your chickens into walking hand grenades.

The fact is that chickens and birds self "cook" everything they eat in their crops or craws before they pass it on to their gizzards to be "chewed." This includes rice, oats, whole shelled, and cracked corn, scrambled eggs, and yes mice, snakes, small birds, and lizards.

Birds in the pigeon family semi-digest their food so completely that they regurgitate it in a form called pigeon milk before feeding it to their young, much like you or I squeeze toothpaste out of a tube.

 

[chknqueen]

Anybody who says birds die from eating raw rice has never lived by rice fields where they ravage the crops. Ducks, geese, mud hens, starlings, doves they all eat copious amounts.... They always come back for more.
I grew up in the Sacramento valley and lived in the rice fields.

 

[earlyredrooster]

Anybody who says birds die from eating raw rice has never lived by rice fields where they ravage the crops. Ducks, geese, mud hens, starlings, doves they all eat copious amounts.... They always come back for more.
I grew up in the Sacramento valley and lived in the rice fields.

Same here in n.e. arkansas, rice is the backbone of the economy and harvest is always a boon of free grains (especially rice).

 

[WrapChick]

What percentage of their food each day can be cooked rice? We currently have almost 200 Chicks about 6 weeks old and they have been only on the chick starter. We are about to start them on some fodder and would like to incorporate some rice in their diet as well because I have a ton of it!

 

[DeeDee10]

I came here to get an answer to that question to settle an argument with a friend, and am now amused by reading how there are no sparrows around churches or that there are no songbirds in those states or in S.E. Asia. That has to be the subject for a South Park SPOOF now.

Yes, there are songbirds in those states.............far too many, and there are not only sparrows but many other birds living in bell towers around churches. My guess, to respond to the "theory" of no birds near rice paddys in S.E. Asia, is that the rice farmers discourage them with whatever means they can or their livelihood (producing RICE) would be considerably lowered. Remember, corn is not good for many critters, yet they will greedily consume it if it's available, hence farmers use scarecrows and ultrasound noise and strobe lights to frighten the birds away.

 

[axelsujin]

I think feeding uncooked rice should be fine for chickens 2 to 3 months and above. Younger than that u can try chick starter or rice flour.over here in my country, u don't have access to many poultry stuff.I personally used to feed rice flour to chicks below a month old and switched to uncook rice till I found a steady supply of layer feed

 

[woolfarm]

I don't understand why small quantities of uncooked rice would kill birds. Thousands of birds descend on the rice fields after harvest to glean the fields. Agreed, rice is further dried after harvest, but I've been getting rid of an old 25# bag of rice by tossing out a handful at a time to 10 hens. They love it, eggs haven't changed, I see no harm in it.