Birdseeds

[Marili]

Is it OK to give my 5 chickens a daily handful of commercial birdseeds for a treat (when I feed the birds in the morning) ? They love it ! For the rest of the day they get a properly balanced diet. Marili

 

[Aust1227]

Yes.. Bird seed is a fine treat for them.

You can also sprout the same bird seed for even more treats.

I was reading the labels of a few bird seeds today at Tractor Supply. The average was about 12% protien, so just make sure it is not too much of their diet.

 

[aldarita]

Just make sure that you don't give them too much. They need to eat all you give them because if you have left overs, wild birds will come to eat it and that is a problem. I have had lots of trouble with HOSPs (house sparrows) they are a pest and can bring many parasites and illness to your chickens. It came to the point that I quit giving them scratch with birdseeds like milo because that's what the sparrows love. Now I just give them oats, sunflower seeds and dried mealworms.