Do yo feed Your flock KITCHEn scraps...

[Chickenboy111]

Yes! Mine get scraps often. Watermelon rind, stale but not moldy bread, veggie scraps, leftover popcorn, plain spaghetti noodles.
This is a pretty good list of what scraps and treats chickens can have and how often. https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/chicken-treats/

Thanks for the website!

 

[Tashua]

I feed leftover salad & some meats chopped up . My girls are accustomed to me bringing them a huge pasta salad plate once a day with this treat ......has encouraged me to cook more often and eat healthier including a salad with every meal LMAO oh what we won’t do for our feathered friends

 

[Tashua]

Yes.

One of the things I like about having chickens is the ability to turn scraps, trimmings, and the leftovers the family has lost interest in into eggs and compost.

I'm careful to keep a balance and to not give them anything too salty or too fatty.

My compost pile is dwindling since I started my flock last year

 

[Tashua]

I’m aware of no issues with grapes. My flock got a few bunches yesterday. I guess if you have babies, the grapes may need to be cut up?

Lol I chop up everything for mine except for maybe the occasional blueberry I forgot to eat !! (Can you say spoiled ??? )

 

[Ursuline Chick]

I give them veggie and fruit scraps and egg shells on a regular basis in the winter. Most meat scraps go the dogs, but during molting season I give them to the chickens.

Most of my old bread gets saved for stuffing, so they don't get much of that.

If I find discounted cauliflower or cabbage, I buy it for them.

Last year I bought 8 large pumpkins from Aldi's for $3 each. I was everyone's best friend then, let me tell you!

During the summer they get to forage, so most veggie scraps go in the compost, but they still get most of the eggshells and fruit scraps. Frozen melon guts and peels are a lovely treat on a hot summer day.

When we get a heavy rain, I collect worms and throw them over the fence. They go nuts for them, and it's cheap entertainment for me.

We used to feed our hens worms and they loved them. We had one white hen, Penny who would run over when ever she saw the shovel and stand on it, in an attempt to be the first to get at any worms that came up with the shovel. DH had to use one foot on the shovel 'cause Penny was standing on the other side.
These latest hens are afraid of the worms. If you throw worms in the chicken yard, they run away. I have nut job hens. What can I say.

 

[Tashua]

OK, it's not just me...I was going to say "I know what all those words mean, but they don't make any sense to me when you put them together".

Also, bacon is on the salty side, so probably not the best thing to give chickens in any real quantity.

Leftover BACON ??? Hahahahahahahaha never

 

[BDutch]

I would refrain from giving them egg shells. It might encourage them to eat their own eggs. Oyster shells work well and are cheap.

Giving them crushed egg shells cut in pieces is not encouraging chickens to eat the eggs. Crushed egg shells are easier to digest then the oyster shells. And for free.

Grass clippings are very healthy too. They contain minerals and fresh vitamins. Do give stones as a supplement to grind grasses.

I give left overs too. But not too much, especially not salty or sweetened food. Favourites for the chickens are boiled rice (not nutritious at all) , ripe banana, baked salmon skin, cheese (too salty ) .

If my chickens free range they eat a lot of bugs , grasses and they eat fallen fruit in summer too. Some fruits cause a light diarrhoea (like grapes). And lots of grass makes the poop greenish. I see no harm in that.

My chickens are no egg machines. I suppose if you don’t mind a slower growth and maybe less eggs its no problem to give more of the low protein, healthy kind of scratch, as long as they can choose to eat a more balanced chicken feed too and can free range in search of bugs. Even my older chickens are still healthy after 5-6 years with all the ‘crap’ they eat beside the chicken feed.

If I have to keep them locked up I am more restricted with scratch and left overs. Better safe then sorry.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Lol I chop up everything for mine except for maybe the occasional blueberry I forgot to eat !! (Can you say spoiled ??? )

Not necessary in most cases, but it might help them eat more of the food and more easily, I suppose!

I do split melons with a shovel or a boot stomp, but everything else just gets tossed in.

I had a chicken peck me hard enough to break the skin a few weeks ago when I had to catch her for some minor first aid (I must be getting over-ripe in my middle age) - if they can peck that hard I figure most food scraps are no match for them!

 

[Tre3hugger]

Yes I love my little recycling machines! Any kind of veggie scrap, pumpkin or squash, eggshells. Pretty much whatever we don't finish goes to the chickens. Less than 10% of diet, they typically get a small bowl of goodies around every other day.

 

[Sally PB]

Early afternoon (1ish-2ish) is "chickie snack" time. I even have a chickie snack song, so they know what time it is and come out of the coop.

I have a compost bin on the counter, but it's not for the chickens as it also has coffee grounds and other non-chicken stuff in it. I know hubby would balk at another thing on the counter (can't blame him), so stuff for the birds goes into bags that go in the fridge or freezer to stretch it all out. A neighbor saves me their chicken-safe stuff too.

Yesterday they devoured a wet mash of their regular food and warm water. It's a great way to use up the broken bits and dust from their pellets. I put it down and it was gone in seconds. I don't want them to know it's just leftovers that they otherwise wouldn't eat.