Feed v. Vegetables

[foolishcop]

Because a local fruit & vegetable store throws out tons of castoffs every day, I have daily access to an unlimited supply of fresh vegetable scraps. Is it okay to allow them to simply eat this supply, which they happen to love, or do they need to be supplemented with commercial feed?

Currently, they've been eating a mix of starter feed, usually their morning meal, with the vegetables thrown into the pen in the afternoon which they then spend a good 2 days working through. I'm now at the end of the starter feed, and they really do enjoy the mix of vegetables they get, particularly when it's large leafy greens. Then they come charging!

But I'm wondering is the broad mix of vegetables enough for them, and should they be supplemented with grains/commercial feed?

There's also a local brewpub nearby, and I was thinking of stopping in and asking them for a bit of spent grains once a week. Thanks for any insights.

 

[snow5164]

That’s great for you , but they do need a more balanced diet. It’s like making your dog food , of course they eat it but they don’t have the ability to know what they need to grow and develop....

I would feed chick grower unlimited , a snack of veggies Once a day , only what they finish ....

Otherwise you won’t have strong healthy birds that live to their full potential, good luck

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I tend to feed more food scraps than most, but if you were going to feed ONLY food scraps you'd need to be very careful about the mix to assure they get the right mix of nutrients, especially protein.

That being said, if you give commercial feed free choice, I think throwing them the veggie scraps in the afternoon and letting them eat their fill (even if it takes them a couple days to clean it all up) you'll be fine.

Brewery waste is also fine for a supplement to the diet, but isn't a complete food either.

If you do that, you may want to see if the grocery store has some extra protein you can give the chickens (meat or beans, maybe).

 

[JedJackson]

Because a local fruit & vegetable store throws out tons of castoffs every day, I have daily access to an unlimited supply of fresh vegetable scraps. Is it okay to allow them to simply eat this supply, which they happen to love, or do they need to be supplemented with commercial feed?

Currently, they've been eating a mix of starter feed, usually their morning meal, with the vegetables thrown into the pen in the afternoon which they then spend a good 2 days working through. I'm now at the end of the starter feed, and they really do enjoy the mix of vegetables they get, particularly when it's large leafy greens. Then they come charging!

But I'm wondering is the broad mix of vegetables enough for them, and should they be supplemented with grains/commercial feed?

There's also a local brewpub nearby, and I was thinking of stopping in and asking them for a bit of spent grains once a week. Thanks for any insights.

You still need the feed because it has all of the vitamins and minerals the birds will need, and all of the protein, which is very important, and lacking in vegetables.

 

[foolishcop]

Thanks very much for the replies! It makes sense what everyone says, about the lack of protein. I did just make one of those bucket feeders where they have to stick their heads inside to get at the feed so I can see it won't be going to waste. Thanks again!