Cornbread vs Chicken pellets

[nanny chick]

My chickens love cornbread. They have all kinds of chicken feed, but if I go into the pen with cornbread they act like Piranhas. Do they have taste buds?

 

[DouglasPeeps]

Welcome to BYC! We are glad you are here.

I don't know about taste buds, but chickens love treats. Cornbread would be considered a treat. My chickens love all sorts of treats, including oatmeal, rice, cracked corn. Think of treats like candy. They will always be very excited and choose it over their feed. Just remember to give them treats in moderation as they do not contain the nutritional content that their pellets do. Have fun!

 

[Wifezilla]

Good advice.

 

[gumpsgirl]

Quote:
Very good advice here, but might I add one more thing? Not only do treats not contain the nutritional content that the feed does, but they will eventually make them fat which will cause lots of health issues for them down the road. Don't get me wrong here! Treats are fantastic, as long as they are offered in moderation like DouglasPeeps already pointed out. I offer treats once a day, which is usually in the evening time before they go to bed. The evening time has become such a routine, if I walk out the front door in the evenings, then I darn well better have a treat or I'm in trouble!

Here's a link to Buff Hooligans treat page to give you pointers of treats that are good to give your chickens. https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart

 

[nanny chick]

I agree with everyone's advice. I have 3 older laying hens and 13 young chickens. (11 hens and 2 roosters). I have been feeding them starter/growth, pellets, chops, and oyster shell. I only give them a few treats. Right now my chickens seem to be very healthy. I also like to keep my chicken house clean. I put plastic under their roost for easier clean up.

 

[lovemychix]

I give mine treats all the time. All leftover I have. I don't care what anyone says I don't want to eat the same old stuff everyday. They don't get overfeed with treats but they can hear me shut the back door. They know I'm coming with something better than their food.

 

[cherig22]

Quote:
They hear me OPEN the back door, lol.

Cheri

 

[lovemychix]

Quote:
They hear me OPEN the back door, lol.

Cheri

Just for fun sometimes I just open the window and holler at them and they all come out and look around.

I know that is just mean.

 

[cmom]

Mine love any kind of bread. I give it to them as treats. They still have their regular feed and water available to them. When ever they see me coming out of the house they run to see if I have any treats for them too.

 

[Wifezilla]

My ducks beg for treats too, but when I give them treats, I give them bok choy, leaf lettuce and celery tops

Ssssshhhhh...don't tell them it's good for them!!