Cayenne pepper powder in feed?

[dgh]

Is it worth it?

 

[nuthatched]

All it does is dye the yolks orange, after that it does nothing and could potentially cause nutritional deficiency in large amounts.

 

[RoyalChick]

All it does is dye the yolks orange, after that it does nothing and could potentially cause nutritional deficiency in large amounts.

How would it cause nutritional deficiency?
One reason to use it would be to deter rodents from the feed.

 

[Sequoia Raven Bird Farms]

Is it worth it?

My neighbor likes using it to help her hens stay warm in winter (in Canada) since it improves circulation making them warmer.

 

[nuthatched]

How would it cause nutritional deficiency?
One reason to use it would be to deter rodents from the feed.

They'll just eat around the powder, it won't slow them much.
Chile seeds contain antinutritional properties, manufacturers of powder just grind whole fruits to make powder

 

[Al Gerhart]

I call B.S. on the use of chili powder in feed. Just an old wives tale. Ditto on keeping one warm. Maybe it warms their politician hole when they poop. Don't ask me how I would know that.

There are three methods to stop rodents.

Sanitation

Exclusion.

Elimination.


In order of effectiveness.

Sanitation, bulk feed in metal barrels with metal lids, an actual rat proof feeder meaning a narrow and distant treadle and a spring to pre load the door so the rodent don't just push the door open, and cleaning up the paths the rodents use to travel between their food source and where they burrow. The last part allows natural predators to get to them to thin out their numbers. You might spend $200 to pull this off and a half day of your time cleaning.

Exclusion, a Ft. Knox coop. No free range. Very hard to do and very expensive. But it can work long term.

Elimination. Poison and traps. Never ending expense and work, the effectiveness decreases quickly, and even if you rotated the poisons and trapping methods, as soon as you cleaned out the old population a new batch would move right into the vacant territory.

So, instead of seasoning their food with chili powder, just quit feeding them. It is that simple.