Chickens and Milk?

[Muscoweewee]

Hi all,
I was recently tipping out some milk that had been left out for too long into the garden when my easter egger came up to me and started drinking it right from the puddle. She took a good 10+ slurps from it before walking off happily. Is this normal? Will she get sick from this at all?
P.S.
it was cow's milk, not raw

 

[ChickonLand]

Hi all,
I was recently tipping out some milk that had been left out for too long into the garden when my easter egger came up to me and started drinking it right from the puddle. She took a good 10+ slurps from it before walking off happily. Is this normal? Will she get sick from this at all?
P.S.
it was cow's milk, not raw

You'll want to avoid dairy for your chickens. I've read that the only diary they should consume is yogurt for its probiotic properties. I gave a brooding hen oatmeal and yogurt and she did fine. I'd just avoid lots of yogurt and any cow dairy.

Dairy is hard for them to digest and their bodies weren't built to consume dairy.

 

[Juliesan]

Chickens love milk and all dairy products, I spoil mine with all expired yogurt, ricotta and cottage cheese, cheese rinds, etc...you just made her happy, she should be fine!

 

[Leighe]

LOL....and the responses from @ChickonLand and @Juliesan is why I love BYC. Pick your answer, lol. Actually if you'll do some research you'll come to your own conclusion.

 

[Fields Mountain Farm]

LOL....and the responses from @ChickonLand and @Juliesan is why I love BYC. Pick your answer, lol. Actually if you'll do some research you'll come to your own conclusion.

I give mine raw goat milk occasionally, they love it.

 

[Leighe]

I give mine raw goat milk occasionally, they love it.

I actually give mine most dairy products, but just as a treat once every week or two. But I know there are people on both sides of the milk talk. My grandma said they fed it all to the chickens. Sometimes I think we've done so much research that now we are too scared to do things the old way.....on the other hand my grandma didn't know about half the food we have today, lol. It was meat, potatoes, bread, veggies, milk

 

[Fields Mountain Farm]

My uncle always said, " you don't throw the baby out with the bathwater". There's good in both sides, all in moderation maybe?!?

 

[KentuckyRooster]

A little is okay. All in moderation- no they weren't -meant- to have it but it's not going to kill them to have a sip of milk or my house roo would be dead lol. He thinks he wants ALL the people food.

 

[ChickonLand]

All the responses are true! If you do decide to keep giving your chickens dairy watch out for diarrhea! If they have diarrhea that means the dairy isn't agreeing with them. Good luck!

 

[JaeG]

Chickens love dairy and as a treat its fine. Mine will do anything for cheese. Chickens have very tough and efficient digestive systems and seem to instinctively know what they need (which is why we leave a bowl of oyster shell grit out for them to pick at). And isn't that part of why we keep chickens - to reduce the amount of wasted food we throw away?