Are They Eating Too Much Calcium?

[FrostRanger]

I would say back off on the calcium. That would include eggshells. I think I lost one of my Sussex hens due to excess calcium. She ended up with a mass on her side (where all the organs are.

That sounds more like cancer than excess calcium, sorry for your loss in any case

 

[2 Acres]

This is Stryper (the one going through a hard molt) She found corn. I did a little research and it seems roundup corn isn't good for chickens.

 

[2 Acres]

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This is Stryper (the one going through a hard molt) She found corn. I did a little research and it seems roundup corn isn't good for chickens.

So I guess I go to bagged corn.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

So I guess I go to bagged corn.

Why are you giving her corn, beyond the amount that is already in her layer feed?

Letting her eat just corn means that she will eat less of the full-nutrition balanced feed. Aka “spoiling her appetite.”

 

[2 Acres]

Yeah... I was trying to give her a treat. Was hoping the molt would progress faster.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Yeah... I was trying to give her a treat. Was hoping the molt would progress faster.

From what I understand, it’s protein specifically that they need to generate new feathers, not simply calories.

But I hear ya, seeing our chickens suffer isn’t an easy thing.

 

[2 Acres]

I did not know of the fat content, thank you! I do check their weight and keel bone once a week, so it never occurred to me that the treats were too much even though I knew better in the back of my head. I just want to spoil them, but I much prefer a long-living chicken.

Spoil them with carrots, baked potatoes plain yogurt and the like. They'll love the yogurt (trust me they like human food too).

 

[2 Acres]

Spoil them with carrots, baked potatoes plain yogurt and the like. They'll love the yogurt (trust me they like human food too). Especially grapes.

 

[NatJ]

Spoil them with carrots, baked potatoes plain yogurt and the like. They'll love the yogurt (trust me they like human food too).

Chickens usually like wet mash, too. It's just their normal feed with water added, but they act like it tastes really great!

Nutritionally it's the same as when they eat the same feed dry, so it is a good choice when you want the fun of giving the chickens a treat, but don't want to worry about whether any particular treat is "healthy" or whether you are giving "too many" treats.