Parents fed my chickens rubbish again

[cuteychickens15]

Hi,
I came home from school today and I noticed that my mother gave my chickens mashed potato and gravy. I know because I saw this food as leftovers last night. My mother puts salt in everything and she gave this gravy and mashed potato to the chickens. All of it was gone so they ate it all and my mother said that they enjoyed it. I felt so angry and just went and lied in my bed and cried. I cried because ever since i had got my chickens about 7 months ago, my parents have constantly been giving them junk food with big amount of salt and thinking its funny and I just can't take it, im feeling like crying just thinking about it. Please don't think i'm a weak immature boy for crying about this. I want to ask you, what level of salt is safe/dangerous to chickens (buff orpingtons). I also want to know a way to stop my parents giving my chickens junk. I was thinking about getting a few webcams and putting them around the garden near my bedroom window and putting the wires through my window, connecting it to a laptop and connect that to the internet so i can monitor what they give them and even if possible, set a really high alarm to go off and to only stop by my control if they move the food. I sound really stupid but please understand the feelings that i have worrying about my chickens when i have many other problems to cope with too. I am depressed and I just can't take this stress, some days I wish i was just dead but even better would be living in a house away from my family with my chickens so a ton of bricks can be lifted off my shoulders. Please just help me.
Thanks for reading.

 

[appps]

More importantly, have you talked to your parents about feeling depressed? If you can't talk to them go see your school counsellor or a teacher you trust. It's really important to talk to somebody though as silly as it sounds talking really does help reduce that stress. Keeping it bottled up inside and not sharing will make it grow.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Here is the guaranteed chemical analysis of a popular and widely accepted brand of chicken feed (a layer pellet)
I wish to draw your attention to lines # 9 and 10

Guaranteed Analysis:

1. Crude Protein 16% (min)
2. Lysine 0.7% (min)
3. Methionine 0.3% (min)
4. Crude Fat 2.5% (min)
5. Crude Fiber 6.5% (max)
6. Calcium (Ca) 3.25% (min)
7. Calcium (Ca) 4.25% (max)
8. Phosphorus (P) 0.45% (min)
9. Salt (NaCl) 0.3% (min)
10. Salt (NaCl) 0.8% (max)
11. Manganese (Mn) 100 ppm
12. Vitamin A 3000 IU/lb (min)
13. Vitamin D3 800 ICU/lb (min)
14. Vitamin E 12 IU/lb (min)
15. Total Microorganisms (min) 1100950 CFU/lb [including the odd germ]
16. Phytase (A. Oryzae) 227FYT/lb (min)

By this analysis a hundred pounds of laying pellets will contain between almost 5 ounces to over 12 ounces of salt. Another way to view it is between almost 1/3 pound of salt to 3/4 pounds of salt per 100 pounds of laying pellets.

 

[sourland]

Whoa, calm down. Your birds will be fine. It would take a LOT of mashed potatoes and gravy to harm your birds. Chickens have been eating scraps and leftovers ever since they started hanging around our campsites. I agree that your parents should have more sensitivity towards your feelings about your birds, but when all is said and done they are the parents. We are not infallible.

 

[JanetMarie]

It's absolutely normal to have concerns about what your chickens are being fed. They should not be fed high salt food. Are you the one responsible for taking care of your chickens? Whether you are or not, you can let your parents know that you want to be the sole caretaker of your chickens. If you have to be away for a day or two and cannot take care of them, find a responsible chicken sitter who will take care of them the way you want them to. ETA: If your situation is that your parents have to help take care of them while you're at school, you just have to take care of them best way you can.

Cheer up, because someday you WILL be an adult and will be able to have your own life and your own place.

 

[cuteychickens15]

Whoa, calm down. Your birds will be fine. It would take a LOT of mashed potatoes and gravy to harm your birds. Chickens have been eating scraps and leftovers ever since they started hanging around our campsites. I agree that your parents should have more sensitivity towards your feelings about your birds, but when all is said and done they are the parents. We are not infallible.

But its not the mashed potatoes and gravy im worried about. It is the salt that is in it

 

[sourland]

How much salt do you guys put in your mashed potatoes and gravy?

I frequently make mashed potatoes and gravy, and it does not need that much salt.

 

[JanetMarie]

Type in salt in the search bar at the top. There is a thread titled "salt?" with some information that you could possibly relay to your parents.

 

[twisted-acres-farm]

Whoa, calm down. Your birds will be fine. It would take a LOT of mashed potatoes and gravy to harm your birds. Chickens have been eating scraps and leftovers ever since they started hanging around our campsites. I agree that your parents should have more sensitivity towards your feelings about your birds, but when all is said and done they are the parents. We are not infallible.

 

[cuteychickens15]

I am printing some things about salt and chickens. I just remembered, my dad doesn't want to know about anything from the internet because he says that anyone can type a load of rubbish on the internet. He thinks that he knows best for everyone and he thinks that he is better than everyone else and anything that anyone else says is wrong.