Feedback on Learning Center "Treats Chart"

[digitS']

Quote:
They should not be on laying feed until they are producing eggs.

Layers are often producing an egg each day. They have a tremendous need for calcium to build the egg shell. Their feed is formulated to meet that need.

Six week old chicks are not producing an egg shell each day.

Excess calcium in their blood must be excreted through their urinary systems. That places a serious strain on their kidneys. If it is not filtered sufficiently from the blood, calcium builds up as deposits on their skeletons and organs. None of this is good for the long-term health of the birds.

Steve

 

[1newchickontheblock]

Old post, but just found the Treats Chart - commented on it on another thread - Love it! Very helpful for a chicken newbie like me!

 

[Gypsi]

I just found chickweed on the poisonous plants list. My chickens love the stuff. And henbit and dandelions. They don't touch the bull nettle I need to dig up though. How much worry should I have about letting them loose in the backyard to nibble? Most of it is annual and perennial rye at this year, with the above referenced weeds and wild carrot.

 

[digitS']

Gypsi, probably any plant can become toxic when it grows under certain conditions - such as, drought, flooding, or when treated with herbicide.

Not one of the weeds you mentioned made the Toxic Plants of Texas list from Texas A & M.

Edited to add: Chickens should always have their feed available to them so that they are not starving for food and, maybe, inclined to eat too much of something that isn't especially good for them.

Steve

 

[Gypsi]

Thank you Steve!

I need to check the A&M list out for my chinaberry tree too. It's not near their coop, but they do enjoy running around the yard when the dogs are indoors. They always have feed available in the autofeeder, but not a speck of green lives long in that run, and when I feed them in the morning before work, medicated starter feed in a pile on the ground - they enjoy the ground-scratching too, I pull a couple of handfuls of weeds - with the henbit wiped out it has been chickweed lately, and toss it in with their food. They really enjoy a bit of green. My garden has a bountiful henbit crop I can pull for them - it's a 6 foot privacy fence away from the backyard.

They are happy and right now healthy. I just want to keep them that way.

Gypsi

 

[Kathryn4629]

how about Pears? My girls LOVE them. The only thing they like enough to play keep away with.

 

[Tommy_poultry]

Where else is it possible to get mealworms at if you have no local pet store or is there something else that can be feed that is kinda like meal worms??

 

[AccioSarah]

I always refer to your treat chart before giving my new chicks a snack! Thank you for making it and sharing it!

 

[Yay Chicks!]

I love the treat chart! If you are able you might post additional info under peas. I gave mine some pea tendrils with flowers and they attacked it like no other green so far. The peas I planted are from the Dwarf Grey variety where the tendrils and pink flowers are used in salads and stir fry. Fancy

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Quote:
You can order them from the internet, however the shipping charges are horribly expensive. If you find grubs in your yard, the chickens would love those.