feeding bread to chickens

[Wifezilla]

Bread is basically sugar. 2 slices of bread is the same thing as 1/4 cup of table sugar. While it might not effect egg production, it can effect long term health.

In people, sugar knocks out your immune system for up to 5 hours. Not sure if it has the same effect on chickens, but I wouldn't take the chance.

 

[silkiechicken]

For you to see a drop of egg production, you gotta try it. Do half the flock with no bread for a year, and half the flock with bread for a year. Over the long run, there may just be that difference. If bread and feed is something you always do, you wouldn't ever know what is more or less than what you get.

That said, one loaf for 50 chickens is nothing, but one loaf for five is.

 

[Cason]

I own a Subway store, and I feed ALL excess bread to my chickens, along with old cookies, lettuce, tomato & cucumber ends.. etc... AND I feed free choice lay mash.
There has never been a decrease in the egg production here.

 

[Jena]

My girls love bread, but it is strictly a treat, I only have 4 chickens so I only give them 1 slice, maybe 2 a day at most, and it is a treat, like a bonding thing as they love to come and take it out of my hand and tear it apart.

I was warned not to give them too much bread due to the salt content.

I don't know, if that is right but we really enjoy the tussle over a good slice of bread, or the cob end of an uncut loaf. They also make a real treat of warm porridge in this cold weather, it is so good to watch them, and spaghetti is a real blast, they have such fun with it.

Jena.

 

[estpr13]

Q: Do you know why they "fortify" bread?

A: Because there are not enough nutrients for it to be considered 'food'.

 

[KrisRose]

My chickens get bread as a treat once a day. The cheap soft wheat kind. 8 slices for 23 hens.
Egg production is down but it is because of the decrease in light, not bread.

 

[michelle1017]

My chickens expect bread once a day! When they hear me coming they are lined up ready for their treat. I feed about 8-9 slices to around 50 birds daily and still have the same production I had before I started it.

 

[MissPrissy]

I have access to organic whole grain breads. Always have over the last 20 years. If you look for it you can find it.

I have always supplemented my chickens feed with bread, leftover vegetables, etc. They have always done fine. I have always gotten an egg a day or every other day.

I do not believe that commercial feed is the only thing that keeps a chicken healthy and creates good eggs or keeps the hens laying daily.

If you are someone that practices sustainable living you would not even consider buying commercial feed for your hens. They would forage and live on what they can scavage.

If the chickens only diet is bread yes, you're gonna have problems. If your chickens are getting a wide and varied diet - including meat - you won't see much change in them.

One thing people forget - on both sides of the fence - is we raise our chickens for different reasons. Some people raise their chickens for pets and pamper them and worry over what they eat. Some people raise chickens to serve a purpose other than a pet. I am one of the later catagory. My chickens have a job. I don't feed them to benefit them with a nice old age. I feed them to best benefit my table. When my hens are spent they go into the freezer. I have no intentions of serving a hen to my family that had sustained 90% of its life on a commercial feed. Yuck. Over time the meat of that chicken will have a taste to it if you are familair enough to note it that is distinctly chicken feed. A wide and vaired diet is best for man and animal.

 

[luvmygirlsinAK]

There was a study done giving one batch of rats white bread for their diet while another batch of rats was given a healthy diet with very healthy whole grain breads. The rats that were given the white bread eventually died. When the researchers were trying to keep them from dying at the last minute and giving them intravaneous nutrients, they still died, and could not be revived. I personally will not give anything that has white flour in it, as there are not enough nutrients in it. Not even a single crumb, nothing-nada!

The treats I give them are organic coconut chips, pumpkin seeds both of which help expel any internal parasites by the way, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, sprouted grains, and any table scraps including crusts of my homemade bread made from freshly ground flour. Nearly everything coming from our table is also organic. They come running up to me when I shake my little treat container-they know they are going to get something good!!! They each lay an egg a day for me unless broody like the silkie, or their day has been disturbed in some way by adding something new to the coop (we are still working on it, but it is for the most part finished)

My 2 3 1/2 year old hens daily lay an egg, and sometimes two-and those were not on the day after a disturbance in the coop! Because we are what we eat, I believe we should feed our chickens just as well-I'm sure that if our eggs were analysed, they would be far superior in nutrition then store bought eggs. The yolks are absolutely huge, and a very dark yellow, so dark that my homemade buttermilk pancake batter is a yellow color!

We made the decision to feed them the best that we possibly can, and they reward us over and over with wonderful, highly nutritious eggs.

Just noticed your post, Miss Prissy when I previewed my posting, I agree with you 100%!

 

[luvmygirlsinAK]

Another thing I noticed when putting new hens in our coop. The smell of the poop coming from the new hens that were not raised on organic feeds stinks so bad I can hardly stand it. I can't wait until their unhealthy poop is through their system that isn't even good for the garden, or so I have been told, it is too sour and burns the veggies grown in it. I can't wait so that I can clean out the coop and have a fresh smelling coop again. Their poop smells just downright putrid!