Food Scraps?

[idenasuzanne]

My chickens love legumes, bananas, pears (most fruits except citrus and apples), and anything dairy. Be sure to peel bananas for them, though! They don't mind a little mold on old bread or cheese. They enjoy picking meat off of bones, but I don't give them anything related to poultry. It is fun to watch them slurp spaghetti!

 

[ChickenWhisper0]

Its funny that everyone keeps saying that chickens don't like citrus, because my birds LOVE oranges, grapes, apples, anything like that.

 

[DuckRaiser]

Its funny that everyone keeps saying that chickens don't like citrus, because my birds LOVE oranges, grapes, apples, anything like that.

Mine too!

 

[xianshouston]

If these are 4H MEAT chickens, then you might want to stick to the diet recommended to you by the 4H leader. Give them some scraps as treats. Meat chickens for show are different from just backyard chickens for eggs. You might want to repost this in the meat chicken forum and ask about showing Cornish Cross. In your original post you did not state if you are getting these for eggs or meat. I remember reading a very detailed post about raising meat chickens for show.

As far as backyard chickens for eggs, the more yummy stuff, the merrier. Mine love all kinds of scraps, kitchen trimmings and goodies from the garden. If you have them through the summer, remember, chickens can't sweat. When they get hot, they open their beaks and pant like a dog. I give mine a shallow tub to wade in, as the cool water cools the blood in their feet and legs and thus, as the blood circulates through their body, it helps to cool them down. Another thing they love is what I call "chicken popsicles" which is frozen watermelon rind, cantaloupe peelings and seeds, cucumbers, any goodies that you can freeze for them.

Chickens are a lot of fun. They are addicting, you will want MORE! I love all the different breeds and colors, wish I could have them all. Enjoy your chickens!

Black Stars - which are dual? Meat and eggs. We will primarily use them as layers however - not that I am opposed to eating one especially if it is one that miss behaves

 

[HS Pye]

My dogs never have real bones because they can splinter anything. Even a small fish bone.

Yeah, I guess it depends on the dog. Some can have them, some can't.

 

[Beekissed]

Its funny that everyone keeps saying that chickens don't like citrus, because my birds LOVE oranges, grapes, apples, anything like that.

Mine too...apples, peaches, berries and discarded citrus that got old are a staple in their diets. They will stand next to the deer under the fruit trees and wait for them to drop pieces of peaches and apples out of their mouths and will keep the fruit drops so cleaned up that this waiting for the deer to pluck one for them is sometimes the only way they can get them...until more fruit drops. It's funny to watch because they are like a hungry ring of vultures standing around these poor deer...a silent, waiting, watching ring of birds.

 

[DuckRaiser]

Yeah, I guess it depends on the dog. Some can have them, some can't.

Store bones are fine but just any old bone has a good chance of splintering.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

Yeah, I guess it depends on the dog. Some can have them, some can't.

If you've got the wrong type of dog and give it bones, it can end up costing $$$. Our dog got in the trash and consumed a chicken carcass. The bones scratched up her stomach - thankfully did not puncture anything - but her gut got infected. Took a few courses of antibiotics to get it resolved.

Since then the trash is hidden behind closed doors!

 

[barbschickens]

I have been creating a bucket on the counter top with celery, carrots, and basically leftovers from our salads, onions, banana peels, etc..... kind of like a homemade compost for my almost eight week old chicks. I've heard some of these things might not be OK to feed my chickens.... Is it????

 

[drosenkranz]

I actually don't feed scraps, but create treats just for my girls. I will feed them cottage cheese with bread crumbs and peas. Apples, grapes cut into tiny pieces, blueberries. Eggs that break before I want to eat them. Etc. They look forward to a treat plate a day and are so cute running to me excited to see what I brought for them. They get all the regular chicken feed and supplements daily also, and eat those plenty before and after treat time. I enjoy making the girls something special. Afterall, they graciously give me eggs everyday.