New to the flock :)

[Chinochickenrancher]

Hi friends, I'm new to the group. I'm a small time rancher. I have an acre out in the country. I currently have 5 road island reds , had 6 but lost 1. I raised them from chick's. Have them just to keep us in eggs. They are pets to me and my brother (he mostly takes care of them ) cause I'm disabled. I have a few questions about keeping them happy. Thx for having me. Mark.

 

[Chinochickenrancher]

Hi friends, I'm new to the group. I'm a small time rancher. I have an acre out in the country. I currently have 5 road island reds , had 6 but lost 1. I raised them from chick's. Have them just to keep us in eggs. They are pets to me and my brother (he mostly takes care of them ) cause I'm disabled. I have a few questions about keeping them happy. Thx for having me. Mark.

Lolol Rhode island reds.

 

[Chinochickenrancher]

My first question is , my brother works at a deli and daily he brings home alot of lettuce , tomatoes , bell peppers and cucumbers. He throws alot of this in the coop daily. Is that OK for them over and above there daily scratch and pellets ?

 

[pennyJo1960]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens. This is a great place to explore and hang out.
No not daily like that maybe once a week.
That is my opinion.

 

[LTAY1946]

Hello and Welcome to BYC. Glad that you joined this Poultry Loving Community. Those vegetables are ok but should not be so much that they don't get the nutrients from a balanced layer feed. The vegetables are like a dessert or sweet treat to us. A small amount daily like they would get if free ranging shouldn't hurt but from what you have described they are getting much to excess.

 

[Callender Girl]

Congratulations on raising your RIR's from chicks; I'm sorry that you and your flock lost one of them.

It's great that your brother is bringing home vegetables to supplement the chickens' feed and to give them something to do; my poultry loves to dig through leftover veggies.

As long as your girls are eating all their regular feed, I wouldn't worry. But, good layer feed should provide a wide range of useful nutrients that would be hard to find in just a few types of vegetables. Maybe you let them have some "fun" with the vegetables for a while, then remove the rest so they have room for their dinner.

This is a great community of folks who will be happy to help you in any way possible and/or to simply talk about chickens. I usually check in every day to see if there's something I can learn or someone I can help.

It's good to meet you, Mark. Welcome to BYC and keep enjoying those eggs!

 

[007Sean]

Howdy, Mark and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

Happy to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!

Thanks for joining our community!

 

[DobieLover]

Hello Mark, and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.

I would stop feeding all scratch and switch them over to a complete feed that offers at least 18% protein and maybe even add in some 20-22% protein feed like a broiler mash if they are going to be feed lots of veggies on the side. You don't want to dilute their protein.

 

[Debbie292d]

Hiya, Mark, and welcome to BYC!!

As healthy as those vegetables sound, if they're eating more than 10% of their daily intake, then it's taking them away from the nutrients in their feed and they could in time start becoming unhealthy.

Like others mention, maybe not every day or not so much.

 

[theoldchick]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/techniques-in-feeding-your-flock-off-the-grid.74595/