Chickens need nutrition too.

[yellowgiraffe15]

Hello all you chicken lovers out there! I am new to raising chickens and I would love to get some help and advice.
I have 5 chickens: two 5-6 months and three 3 months. 2 of which are silver laced wyndotte. 1 silver laced wyndotte. 1 easter egger and 1 that I have no clue. I bought her as a golden laced wyndotte but her patterns never came about.

As a new chicken mom, I would like to give them the right nutrition. Therefore, I have researched on good vegetables and fruits to give but I came across a question that I could not find the answer to. So, I have turned to you, chicken experts, for help. My question is, " What kind of vegetable peels am I allowed to give to my chickens that are nutritious?" For example, am I able to give them potato skin? Pumpkin skin? Carrot skin? And so forth.

Please give me any advice and personal experience with feeding your chickens. I will greatly appreciate your help!

Also, the 2 chickens that are 5-6 months have not laid any eggs yet. Should I be concerned or should I keep playing the waiting game? Also, please give me advice on "How to help chickens to lay good quality eggs".

Thank you so much!

 

[Araucana16]

Lucky for you, no-life me spent the past hour wading around the treat forum, so I have the answers!

Pumpkin : fine
Potato : not great, but if it's cooked, it should be fine
Carrot : shred it, and that's fine

 

[Araucana16]

I don't think you should be concerned. As for good quality eggs, good quality food. Layer food is good.

Oyster shells are good. Eggs are good. Eggs with the shell mixed in - great! Tons and tons of good for them snacks like grains (quinoa, rice) and fruits (pumpkin - a squash, but technically a fruit, apples, papayas) are good, just to give them variety. Protein and calcium is what you want to give!

Also, if your chickens are free range, they might have hidden the eggs

 

[Spikes Chooks]

The answer about peels is what I have read, too. Just to pass on some great general advice I got here, when I was starting out - especially when they're young, it's best if about 75-80% of their daily diet is a good-quality chicken feed, designed for their age (the 3 month old ones might still be getting medicated feed). Whatever the correct one is, that has been formulated to provide as good nutritional balance, so try to make sure this forms the bulk of their diet.

I leave my girls till about 11am before they get a breakfast mash. That way, they have already eaten quite a bit of the good-quality layer mash that I buy them. They get a warm treat (as it is winter here) of the dusty parts of the mash (which they leave in the feeder), rolled oats and whatever vegie, bread, cooked rice, grated fruit etc leftovers that I have to hand. Ocassionally, I add meat leftovers, nothing too fatty. Or a little yoghurt. Never more than about 1-2 tablespoons each as breakfast mash. Most days I also hang leafy green vegetables for them to peck at. They love spinach, broccoli leaves, cabbage, parsley, celery etc. I do give them a little lettuce, but not too much as I read it can give them diarrhea (especially young chicks).

Then I let them out to free range and they find lots of bugs, worms, foliage etc. But this is only for about 3-4 hours each day (in part to protect my garden from too much damage - they are never let into the vegie patch!)

When they were just 2-3 months old, I think I was over-doing the types of fruit, vegetables and meat I was giving them and I found that advice to keep that kind of food to about 20-25% each day, was really helpful for me to remember.

Oh, and they love zucchini, apple or carrot frozen in water on a really hot day!

I hope you find this as helpful as I did.

All the best