Topic of the Week - Feeding Treats

[Red Door Coop]

Hi, Red Door Coop here! I am learning a lot from all you chickeners! I appreciate all the input. Currently here in mid-southern Ontario we are experiencing great weather and so my "girls" are happy with the sun, chunks of dirt w/ grass and leaves I've raked already with whatever bits are in there. I look forward to having them healthy for a very long time Really glad to hear about the "plants" part of tomatoes etc. They seem to have a natural instinct to not eat it - good thing!

 

[casportpony]

Hi, Red Door Coop here! I am learning a lot from all you chickeners! I appreciate all the input. Currently here in mid-southern Ontario we are experiencing great weather and so my "girls" are happy with the sun, chunks of dirt w/ grass and leaves I've raked already with whatever bits are in there. I look forward to having them healthy for a very long time Really glad to hear about the "plants" part of tomatoes etc. They seem to have a natural instinct to not eat it - good thing!

Welcome to BYC! Yes, they do seem to avoid the tomato leaves and stems.

 

[casportpony]

And they avoid the leaves of my avocado bush.

 

[lazy gardener]

- At what age can you start offering chicks treats and how do you go about it? I start my chicks on a plug of sod from my yard within the first 2 weeks. They also get scrambled egg. But neither of those items are treats: they serve a specific immune boosting or nutritional benefit.

- What treats do you give your flock? In the winter months (late Oct. through April) they get sprouted grains daily. But, that is not really a treat. It is part of their nutrition. Scratch is reserved for calling the flock back into the run if they are out on range. I also might give them some to get them in the coop if I need to shut them in if we are going out in the late afternoon, and won't be back before dark. Otherwise, I give them any thing being cleaned out of the fridge if it's not "bad."

- How much, and how often do you feed treats? Generally, I don't give anything simply as a treat. I have a purpose for what they are given.

- What treats should NOT be given to chickens, or given in moderation? Scratch is often over used b/c it has little nutritional value. IMO, free range and fermented feed, with sprout supplementation provide all they need.

- What are your flock's favourite treats? Anything an other hen has.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

- At what age can you start offering chicks treats and how do you go about it?
I would say if the chick is a week old start with a worm here or there. Meal worms are bagged up nicely these days. Freeze dried/Live-- whatever you want to deal with. The Chick chase is fun to watch with the live meal worms. After having a broody and watching her...I saw the Momma Hen didn't leave her broody hutch until the chicks were about a week old. So I'd go by her timing. She was teaching the chick her food find chook-chook noises with the chick feed I had in the hutch first I would say. This chick feed had grit included in the food granules. Grit (sand-sized) very important for those itty bitties if they are eating something outside of chick feed.

- What treats do you give your flock?
They get kitchen scraps. Vegetable trimmings. Meat grizzle/fat from pork and beef, fish, tuna during the molt (I don't feed them chicken meat) They got spaghetti and spaghetti meat sauce yesterday. They went ape over those noodles. They love fruit. However I watch the real sugary fruits (grapes/bananas) and the real acidic fruits (citrus/pineapple) Blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are perfect. In the winter I supplement their feed with spinach and kale (just a handful each day) until the grass is accessible to them after the snow melt. Handful of scratch in the evening.

- How much, and how often do you feed treats?
I don't think I have a science on this. Some weeks maybe 3-4 times a week. Some weeks 7/days a week.

- What treats should NOT be given to chickens, or given in moderation?
I've heard Avocados, Citrus, onions and green tomatoes, green potato skins, apple seeds. But you know how hard it is too keep a chicken from tomatoes?! No matter the color. I have not seen ill effects on my birds after stripping down my tomato plants. But quite frankly I've learned about bird netting my tomatoes so I can keep them for myself! I think I mentioned some of the Acidic and super sugary fruit options. I also do not feed bread to my chickens--> I have a fear of sour crop in one of my birds. Knock on wood it has not happened and I attribute this to watching the sugary fruits, and risen bread.

- What are your flock's favourite treats?
MEAT!

 

[julieh]

Just a heads up... all chickens love mealworms but they're not cheap. I buy live maggots from my local fishing bait shop - approx £3.70 a pint. Given in moderation they're much more economical & fun as the girls have to grab them before they wriggle off. They'll do anything for a handful of maggots - last summer we trained them on an obstacle course in the garden using maggots as an incentive!

 

[Sevanson Woods]

I give my brood vegetable & fruit (non-citrus) scraps cut up small (without cores, pits, & no apple seeds), also forage my yard for dandelion leaves, plantain, & clover when I dont have alot of scraps or time to let them roam free (I have to watch them due to an overabundance of hawks & preditors), but they go absolutely "gaga" when I give them bananas...They also love their meal worms but I try to use them a little more sparingly & save those mostly for handfeeding/training, taming, & coaxing any new, tempermental, or stubborn ones that dont come when I call or let me pick them up yet...

 

[missy1971]

I give my brood vegetable & fruit (non-citrus) scraps cut up small (without cores, pits, & no apple seeds), also forage my yard for dandelion leaves, plantain, & clover when I dont have alot of scraps or time to let them roam free (I have to watch them due to an overabundance of hawks & preditors), but they go absolutely "gaga" when I give them bananas...They also love their meal worms but I try to use them a little more sparingly & save those mostly for handfeeding/training, taming, & coaxing any new, tempermental, or stubborn ones that dont come when I call or let me pick them up yet...

great idea about the meal worms.

 

[missy1971]

Just a heads up... all chickens love mealworms but they're not cheap. I buy live maggots from my local fishing bait shop - approx £3.70 a pint. Given in moderation they're much more economical & fun as the girls have to grab them before they wriggle off. They'll do anything for a handful of maggots - last summer we trained them on an obstacle course in the garden using maggots as an incentive!

I am a serious country girl and tomboy at heart, but im telling you, i get nauseous even thinking about looking at a maggot...lol. although from my research on live meal worms last night im going to have to get over all that queasiness so I can make my girlies happy...or fork out the money for dried ones, however im thinking they would have more fun with the live ones!

 

[missy1971]

I give my brood vegetable & fruit (non-citrus) scraps cut up small (without cores, pits, & no apple seeds), also forage my yard for dandelion leaves, plantain, & clover when I dont have alot of scraps or time to let them roam free (I have to watch them due to an overabundance of hawks & preditors), but they go absolutely "gaga" when I give them bananas...They also love their meal worms but I try to use them a little more sparingly & save those mostly for handfeeding/training, taming, & coaxing any new, tempermental, or stubborn ones that dont come when I call or let me pick them up yet...

do you use live or dried meal worms?