⠀ Are treats good for my hens?

[Monica S]

Answer:

Treats and snacks are fun to offer to backyard flocks, as long as they are not provided in excess. Follow a 90/10 rule for laying hens: 90% complete feed and 10% treats. Not only can this cut on costs, it helps us provide a balanced diet to our birds. Though treats are a fun addition to our flock, a complete feed provides the necessary nutrients our hens need to stay healthy and produce high-quality eggs.

Think of kitchen scraps and scratch grains as M&M's for birds; fun to eat and a nice treat, but you wouldn't want to make a meal of them. Similar to candy for us, kitchen scraps and scratch grains are not fortified with vitamins and minerals – key nutrients that laying hens require.

In fact, every time we provide unfortified feeds, we dilute the complete nutrition of the layer feed and the hens may actually receive less nutrition than they would if they just ate their complete feed. If we feed high levels of treats, the hens will likely eat more of them than their fortified feed, causing them to miss out on the nutrients they need.

Since it’s fun to feed treats, feel free to view these items as special goodies that our hens get in small amounts a few times a week – but be cautious to not overfeed.

A complete feed, like Purina® Layena® Premium Poultry Feed should be provided as 90% of the diet, helping hens receive the nutrients they require.

 

[michaelpivola]

how about italian foods and hot peppers like i used to feed the macaw i owned?

 

[sylviecolin]

our 19 chickens get grain for laying hens. i like to give them fresh veggies everyday. they always get cut up apples, broccoli once a week or so(i attach to a poll for them to pick at it, usually 1stalk last 3 days), romain lettus, or cabbage or if we have squash or sweet potatoes for supper, we will give them some (it is like crack to them...lol). i also made a batch of like a flock block with thier grain, oats, corn meal, berries and a bit of brown bread. i freeze them in long rectangle blocks. every week or so, or if we have a few rainy days back to back. i take out a block and let it not quite de-frosted. they will all peck at it for most of the day. i know they have put on some weight since we got them, but they are happy and we get more than enough eggs per day.

 

[bigt447]

Are you happy with your egg quantity & quality? If so, no need to change. If not, cut back on food other than a quality layer feed to no more than 10% of their total diet. That's what most experts recommend.

 

[sylviecolin]

see thats the problem i dont know if we are getting a good quantity or not. we have 19 chickens. now we bought 10 white chickens then got 2 brown ones and one easter egger, then receved 7 molting chickens. that was a month ago. now we get about 9 to 12 eggs a day is this a good amount? i cant seem to tell. i have been going through old posts to see how many eggs we should be getting a day. note that also the weather has changed alot. we are in or close to the -2 C last night warmer during the day up to 10C they are all set up for cold weather dont worry, just not sure if the egg count is good. they all eat well and have fresh water always. and a good size pen to run

 

[shortgrass]

see thats the problem i dont know if we are getting a good quantity or not. we have 19 chickens. now we bought 10 white chickens then got 2 brown ones and one easter egger, then receved 7 molting chickens. that was a month ago. now we get about 9 to 12 eggs a day is this a good amount? i cant seem to tell. i have been going through old posts to see how many eggs we should be getting a day. note that also the weather has changed alot. we are in or close to the -2 C last night warmer during the day up to 10C they are all set up for cold weather dont worry, just not sure if the egg count is good. they all eat well and have fresh water always. and a good size pen to run

That sounds about right, actually, especially for this time of year... I have 23 laying hens, and the numbers go from 9 up to 18 per day, but lately I'm averaging 12 a day.

Depends on breeds, location, cold tolerance, light, and feed. Short days and cold weather will drop egg production quite a bit depending on those factors.

Edit* autocorrect

 

[sylviecolin]

thanks. we got 12 yesterday and 8 already this morning.