Can I give Cornish X treats like I do with my pet chickens?

[GracePoultry]

Hello!
Raising meat chickens for the first time this summer.
Is it ok for me to give the CC's mealworms and veggie scraps?
Are there any supplement's or treats I should give them?
Tia!

 

[500Chickens]

i don't see any reason why you couldn't. i think it would help them get more meat on them

 

[FunClucks]

I've raised a number of CX. Best to stick to the commercially formulated feed, but a handful of scratch or veggies now and then isn't going to hurt anyone. A good target is 1 T or less of non-feed food per day per chicken. The commercially formulated feed (from feed mill or formulated by someone who is a nutritionist and knows what they're doing) has the correct balance of nutrients for CX to grow the best and fastest, and keep them as healthy as possible while doing it. If you over-treat them, their diet as a whole may become deficient in things they need for optimal growth and health. because when they're filling up on treats, they're not filling up on the correctly formulated food. They can be eating till they're full, but still be hungry if they're not getting the proper nutrition in their food.

 

[Morrigan]

I've always given my CX spare produce/weeds/table scraps/fodder. I scatter them about the yard to encourage them to get up and move. It's always been a relatively small amount of their total diet (less than 20% at most). I've never had any issues.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Of course you can. Just know that most snacks lower the birds' overall protein intake level, so keep that in mind.

But honestly, feed them what you'd like. I had one batch of CX I fed exclusively on beans, enriched pasta, canned fish, canned and dry cat food, and kitchen scraps after the first two weeks. I was mindful of their protein intake though, so it ended up working out. They grew at about the same rate as the others that I have raised fully on commercial feed (20-22% for first two weeks, then 18% from then on). No leg or heart issues.

CX are still chickens. They love treats Mine have always loved canned fish (sardines, tuna, mackerel, etc.) and canned cat food the best. They devour it!