Can chicks eat basil?

[chickengeorgeto]

Do chicks/chicken have taste buds [?]

I doubt that they do. Chickens and other birds will eat the hottest chili peppers without a second though.

 

[Araucana16]

I doubt that they do. Chickens and other birds will eat the hottest chili peppers without a second though.

x2

I also have a bearded dragon who goes into my pepper garden, and rather than enjoying the sweet little bell peppers I pull right off the vine for his pleasure, he decides that the chili peppers he has to leap for are MUCH more appetizing. At least the other one only eats spiny leaves

 

[france4862]

I fed them warm spaghetti yesterday it was pandemonium in coop. I think they thought it was worms

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Do chicks/chicken have taste buds my chicks seem to like oatmeal dry but oats not so much

I doubt that they do. Chickens and other birds will eat the hottest chili peppers without a second though.

Sure they do, but not nearly as many as humans do. Chickens have about 250 taste buds, whereas humans have about 9000.

The hot part of hot peppers (capsaicin) isn't a "taste," so to speak and isn't coming from your taste buds. Capsaicin is actually tasteless and odorless, but we have receptors in our mouth (and the mouths of other mammals) that turn that chemical into a kind of pain. Birds and many reptiles have receptors that don't seem to register the presence of capsaicin, so they don't even notice the pain of the chili pepper--to them, it doesn't even exist.

As far as the oatmeal question, I'm sure it's a matter of texture. Those dry oats are hard to choke down, but oatmeal is lovely. Same as you wouldn't want to choke down dry oats, buy might like oatmeal yourself.

 

[Shan30]

Absolutely bring on the basil, not only will it make your coop smell yummy but it's loaded with vitamins and minerals. Health benefits include it being an anti-inflamatory, anti-bacterial and a DNA protectant. Sounds good to me!

 

[france4862]

What can I do with these oats? :/

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

What can I do with these oats?

Give them to the chickens the way they like to eat them. If they like them dry, let them eat them dry. They eat dry pellets all day long, after all.

 

[donrae]

What can I do with these oats?

when I fed COB (corn, oats and barley) the oats were always the last thing the birds ate. They would eventually eat them, just not their first choice. I don't know if oats can be fermented and fed, you might look on that massive fermented feed thread and see if that would help them eat them. Or, if you've got a huge bag and don't want to mess with it, re-sell them. Post on CL or whatever.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

As far as the oatmeal question, I'm sure it's a matter of texture. Those dry oats are hard to choke down, but oatmeal is lovely. Same as you wouldn't want to choke down dry oats, buy might like oatmeal yourself.

My day old chicks will scarf down old fashion oat meal no mater how dry it is. They may even like it better than hard boiled eggs.

BTW, isn't Granola mostly dry oat meal?

Then again most oat meal especially old fashion oat meal is a processed food.

 

[smhoekzema]

My two week old chicks enjoyed basil today in the garden They won't eat worms or anything though! They don't like oats (warm or dry), tomatoes, boiled eggs (crushed of course). I'm running out of ideas for treats!!