feeding bread to chickens

[chiggerbit]

I bought a garbage bag of bread at the day-old store for $2, and wanted to see there was a thread about whether or not it was safe to feed it to the chicks. There was a loaf of blueberry bread, so I thought I'd try that for their first. At first, they just walked all over it, ignored it. But then about three of them discovered it and did that funny chicken thing where they squeal and run all over, advertising that they have a goody, triggering others to chase them. It got pretty wild. That went on for a long time, with half of the chicks chasing the squealers. Meanwhile, some of the smart ones realized I was crumbling some goodies and quietly gathered around and feasted.

I like to dry the bread in the sun, then bag it up, and give it, off and on, to the fish as a treat, and for "taming" them a bit.

 

[MommaOrp]

My guys have strictly layers pellets in the morning, i never treat them till i know they've had their fill. I share about 3 slices of bread between 30 of them but i give them, leftover cornflakes, bits of cheese, dinner veg, cooked potato peelings, pasta, mixed in too. They have all sorts and they are happy and healthy and treat time is enjoyable for everyone

 

[kara_leigh]

My chickens won't eat bread.

 

[Heathero617]

Quote:
There is on average 1 gram of sugar per slice of white bread, there are aprox 200 grams of sugar in a cup so that would make 1/4 cup of white sugar contain about 55 grams of sugar...nowhere near 1/4 cup of table sugar in 2 slices of bread. i've not read ahead so I appologize if someone has already pointed this mistake out.

 

[so lucky]

Heathero617, I think what Wifezilla was saying is that the white flour in bread is starch, which is a fast-acting carbohydrate, as is sugar. Your body reacts to white flour and white sugar in basically the same manner. Wifezilla, forgive me for putting words in your mouth, if this is not what you were saying. Frankly, commercial white bread is pretty worthless in my opinion. I wouldn't want to feed it to my chickens.

 

[Animalian]

I find that if my hens stop laying for a while, they will start upagain if I feed them a bit of beef and cheese

 

[rancher hicks]

Seems to me that just like us chickens need a balanced diet. Ok I know it.

White bread has "benzoide peroxide" in the making of it, so I don't like it very much.

I do know that when I over do the treats of scratch and bread I start to get funny shelled eggs so I no longer do so.

Chickens don't "need" anything other than a balanced feed. However like me they like different stuff and so the occasional bread won't hurt.

If they do not have a balanced diet they will not lay as much. Also it's important to not overdo the treats as chickens can get fat and fat chickens don't lay well either.

Of course there are a lot of opinions and what works for one might just have to do with the number of chickens and the amount each gives to their particular flock.

Chicken on Wayne, chicken on Garth,

Rancher

 

[Heathero617]

Quote:
Very much aware, and thank you. gram of carbs is a gram of "sugar" and there are aprox 13 grams of carbs in each slice of white bread, plus the 2 grams of listed sugar is still only 15 grams of "sugar" in a slice of white bread, still 2 slices don't come to a quarter cup of table sugar which is aprox 55 grams within in that quarter cup. Having been raised in a diabetic family and being diabetic myself, i TRY to know these things. Made some interesting discoveries about counteracting simple sugars in my adventures of diabetes too! Either way, I would say just like everything, moderation is the key and a few loaves of bread scattered between many chickens once in a while doesnt seem all that bad to me. Do chickens even process cellulose like humans do? I've never thought to check this out, but it seems like something interesting to look into while I cant sleep tonight.

 

[pgpoultry]

I feed quite a lot of wholemeal bread with margarine spread on it to my flock of 30-40 birds.....good for their calcium vitamin D intake (calcium added to the flour and vit D to the margarine). I feed no growers or layers pellets which they do not like greatly in any case.
My birds also have mixed corn, oatmeal porridge, vegetarian kitchen scraps, sunflower seeds etc. They free range over several acres if they wish. The Brahmas are pretty lazy and hang around the kitchen door for food, but most of the others forage and some do so to the extent that they get most of their food this way.
I have kept chickens for years on this diet.
I get about 5 eggs per bird per week from the egg layers and very few health problems.
As others have said,variety plus attention to providing enough calcium, vitamin D and protein are the most important factors.
Though the diet my chickens get probably is not the cheapest, it certainly is successful in both the short and long term.

 

[Wifezilla]

Carb content varies from bread type to bread type. 30-50 for two slices is normal. Regardless, it is still garbage. If you want to give it to your birds, keep in mind it is junk food.