Feedback on Learning Center "Treats Chart"

[lazy gardener]

Most chickens will get into a knock down drag out fight over a tomato. Don't believe everything you read about "stuff chickens shouldn't eat". On the other hand, if you hear the "do not eat" info, do your own homework. I've heard that avocado is definitely on the do not feed to birds list.

 

[lazy gardener]

You should avoid nightshade leaves and plants. You definitely should not eat them and neither should your chickens. Tomatoes are fruit though, not leaves or plants. They are OK for you to eat and OK for your chickens to eat. Same with potatoes, peppers, and eggplant, other nightshade fruits, if you will. Not sure potatoes are considered fruits.

I think you fell victim to something pretty common, especially on the internet. Somebody somewhere read something about nightshade plants containing a toxin. When they repeated it they left out the plants and just said nightshades. So a myth is born that ripe tomatoes, ripe peppers (I think mine love ripe peppers even more than ripe tomatoes), and such are dangerous. They are not.

Another very common one is that potatoes are dangerous. They are not but potatoes that have been exposed to the sun and turned green are. Exposure to the sun like that concentrates a toxin in the potatoes. You should not eat green potatoes and neither should you chickens. But regular white potatoes are fine. Mine prefer them cooked but will usually eat a raw potato.

I’ll add uncooked dried beans to the do not feed list. Beans contain a substance that can be toxic, causing illness or even death. Cooking destroys that toxin. Red kidney beans are the worst but they all contain that toxin. Neither you no your chickens should eat raw dried beans.

Well written post.

 

[lolobaba1212]

What is the breed of those beautiful chickens?

 

[triplepurpose]

I hear that! We also grow the "root vegetable" staple food Xanthosoma sagittifolium: which depending where you are from is called tannia, tannier, new cocoyam, giant taro, yautia, malanga, and others i dont recall. Except you have to be careful because Ive read that in Cuba they call it malanga but in PR they call it yautia and call taro (ie colocasia esculenta) malanga.

I second learning your botanical names (those are confusing enough). it doesnt just make you sound smarter, but could save your life one day

 

[bigdoodle]

Cooked oatmeal is a good treat for them on cold days too. I have given my chickens double-brewed coffee before, and they liked that too.

 

[Jo Anne]

Your comments and suggestions for the Treats Chart are welcome. Please post them here.
Thanks, Buff Hooligans

The Treats Chart is here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart

I recently read somewhere and I cannot locate it now, the article said cooked oatmeal isn't good for hens, raw yes, cooked no... can you confirm?

 

[Molpet]

I recently read somewhere and I cannot locate it now, the article said cooked oatmeal isn't good for hens, raw yes, cooked no... can you confirm?

this article says it doesn't have enough nutrition, but they are feeding it as about 1/3 of the feed https://the-chicken-chick.com/the-shocking-effect-of-oatmeal/ a tsp as an occontional treat should be ok

 

[Magpyeone]

Great post, super helpful! I’ve found that my hens love mangoes, if I cut the skins up, they’re gone almost as soon as I toss ‘em in the coop! I’ve also found that some foods can affect the egg colors - a friend fed the leftover mash from making grape jelly to her hens, and there were purple swirls and spots on some of their eggs.

 

[plopat]

Your comments and suggestions for the Treats Chart are welcome. Please post them here.
Thanks, Buff Hooligans

The Treats Chart is here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart

This is a fantastic list and I LOVE the photos!

 

[007Sean]

Enjoyed your "what to feed as treats for chickens." I am curious why you state that sweet potatoes and yams do not have much protein, and that they had to be cooked. I used to feed my double-yellowhead parrot pealed chunks of raw sweet potato, and it was considered a nearly perfect complete food, and a healthy part of the diet. I don't know how much the dietary requirements vary between the species of bird. I think white baking potatoes and red skinned potatoes have less nutrition than the yam or sweet potato or taro.

In Africa, they are promoting sweet potatoes as an easy to grow and highly nutritious, high in calories, and carbohydrates, as a way to relieve the starvation in most of the countries.