Do yo feed Your flock KITCHEn scraps...

[DustyDivas]

Nope. Not allowed to feed them kitchen scraps in the UK... but mine get plenty of garden scraps instead, and the kitchen scraps go to the compost pile [out of little beaks reach ]
They love sweetcorn bits straight from the ground, along with strawberries, grapes and all the lovely greens we don't eat
They go nuts with excitement if I so much as touch the garden fork in their run
They love sratching & digging up worms with me! Fabulous little gardeners

 

[MissE]

Nope. Not allowed to feed them kitchen scraps in the UK... but mine get plenty of garden scraps instead, and the kitchen scraps go to the compost pile [out of little beaks reach ]
They love sweetcorn bits straight from the ground, along with strawberries, grapes and all the lovely greens we don't eat
They go nuts with excitement if I so much as touch the garden fork in their run
They love sratching & digging up worms with me! Fabulous little gardeners

Don't ask, don't tell.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

If you prep, cook, and eat in the garden...they aren’t kitchen scraps.

 

[JedJackson]

I give them only fresh vegetable left overs, the discarded bits from making salads or the innards of melons and squash. I've never given them dairy, meat, or carbs. Mainly this is just personal preference, though.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Currently scrambling 30 eggs (and shells) to feed back to them, plus the core of last night's lettuce, part of two tomato, some carrot ends (and greens), they ignore the onion paper (in quantity, I know that's dangerous, but my birds do not go so hungry they would consider eating it), part of a cucumber, and a few outer cabbage leaves. What they don't eat will compost in the run.

So, yes.

The eggs are because my flock is producing far more than I can eat plus give away - sadly, there have been no takers from the local church, and only two neighbors take some off my hands periodically.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

The eggs are because my flock is producing far more than I can eat plus give away - sadly, there have been no takers from the local church, and only two neighbors take some off my hands periodically.

It might be worth calling a small local food pantry to see if they could use them. They may even have some expired stuff to “trade” for eggs.

 

[WindingRoad]

My girls are persnickity about their vege scraps - no brocolli, cabbage, hard carrot tops. They love leafy greens, squash seeds, tomatoes, grapes, beef fat scraps (a treat!). They didn't like uncooked chicken hearts, gizzards (not surprising). Still testing new things. Question: When I make stock from a chicken carcass, carrots, celery, onions, and I strain off the stock leaving all these beautify cooked veges and some cooked chicken meat, would your chickens like the leavings and is it OK to give them "cooked" people food?.

I boil my hearts and gizzards. about 20 mins. my chickens love blueberries but they get diarrhea, Red grapes they love. Watermelon they love. They won't eat cumbers, carrots cooked or not, oatmeal, bananas, tomatoes, squash or the seeds, They love a roasted chicken leftovers. I have one now I need to take out. Thinks I'll nuke it for a warm treat in the winter.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

It might be worth calling a small local food pantry to see if they could use them. They may even have some expired stuff to “trade” for eggs.

Sadly, legally, they can't accept them unless I go thru the whole FL licensing scheme, which will cost me (estimated) $500 - $900 per year, plus inspections, and some additional equipment purchases. I was looking into it this past week. Its about $110 if i want to sell eggs for hatching, chicks, etc. But as soon as its "food" you need a three compartment sink, a site inspection, a water quality inspection, calibrated refrigerators and record keeping, USDA approved cleaners, and licensing costs determined by the inspector, at least$330/yr but easily up to 3x that. If its cooked food, I also need a permanent kitchen (my RV doesn't count), more inspections, more records, personal licensing, and more fees.

Charity is expensive!

 

[Liz Birdlover]

I give them only fresh vegetable left overs, the discarded bits from making salads or the innards of melons and squash. I've never given them dairy, meat, or carbs. Mainly this is just personal preference, though.

Ditto

 

[Willow2253]

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!

I had one girl bite me so hard the other day she left a bruise because I was carrying the scrap bin and she thought a speck on my pants was food. Actual food doesn’t stand a chance.