Can I feed My Chickens Birdseed?

[Balloonjuice]

I am presently feeding my (week old) chicks a 22% protein crumble. Would it do any good (or harm) if I mixed in some nijer seed? I keep the nijer mainly to attract goldfinches to the backyard. They love it, but don't have any idea how chicks would respond to it either mixed into their crumbles or as an occasional treat.

Anyone?

 

[lanescrazycoop]

I have been feeding my chickens soaked parakeet seed mix & soaked millet sprays. I have been feeding this to my
cockatoo (18 yoa) & my conure (22 yoa) with no harm done. in the summer I sprout the seeds & feed them that way.
my parrots love it & so far my chickens seem to like it. I feed these items no more than 3 times a month as I prefer
fresh fruits & vegetables for all my birds (parrots & chickens). both the parrots & chickens are fed primarily a
complete pelleted diet & the other items are for variety more than for nutrition value. I have only had my chickens
for about 3-4 months now (they are 18 months old) but this diet has not hurt my parrots. hope this helps.

 

[Jojoand chicks]

Thank you for letting me know as i happened yo see our nird seed yod and wondered about it they are still in their room in the house not looking forrward yo seeing them be nig girls and go outside nut wiill give the seed a whirl whats the worse to happen they eont like it lolol not my girls they love everyjing i hive thrm in my hand .... till next time thanks again

 

[Chickengene]

I, too, give mixed birdseed in winter as part of the scratch (treat) but in the summer I prefer a "cooling" grain such as rolled oats.

Hello everyone,


I was wondering if it is OK to feed my hens birdseed. My friend was saying it might be more healthy for my hens. I am concerned about the GMO "s in cracked corn and grain that I know is in "un-organic" chicken feed. Right now , I am feeding them Purina scratch, that has cracked corn and grain in it , along with Omega 3 , (Purina) Laying pellets. I know GMO grain and corn is really bad for them, (and for me too, when I eat their eggs.) Is it OK for me to feed them birdseed? I was wondering if their was a alternative , instead of the scratch I feed them now. Does anyone know of a place where I can buy Organic chicken feed, ( that is not too expensive)?



Also, does anyone know if Purina scratch grains are GMO products?

Thank you so much for any advice.

FarmGirl

I didn't intentionally feed birdseed to my hens. But my wife has probably a dozen bird feeders hanging around the yard. As soon as I release the hens in the morning they head for the nearest bird feeder to scratch up the spilled seed from mess eating birds.
And when I refill the bird feeders, the entire flock is getting underfoot.
So for a snack/treat it seems to be a winner.

 

[henless]

I use the bird seed without corn as my chicken scratch. Most of the scratch around here is mostly corn. I usually don't give it to my chicks until they are big enough to leave the brooder, and then only sparingly. If you do give them anything besides starter, be sure and have chick grit out for them.