Feeding kitchen scraps to my flock

[THV]

I've got a flock of 10 hens that are about seven months old.
I've been feeding them various scraps from left from meals, and am not sure if it is OK for them to eat meat scraps? Anyone know the answer?
thanks
Tim

 

[MissPrissy]

Chickens love meat. They need good protein, animal protein, to complete the long chain fatty acids their body needs for good health. Hens allowed to roam around and scratch for food will eat bugs, worms, lizards, frogs, rats and any other furry critter if they can get it. Meat. It's whats for dinner.

Some people think chickens only need chicken feed. Lots of fresh food and meat scraps is the better diet with the feed being their supplement. Chickens are not vegetarians - they are raptors.

 

[Preservation Acres]

Hey Tim,

Meat scraps are fine. Check out this link...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart

Jerry

 

[crzychknluvr]

I just fed my chickens our left over chicken from dinner. I know it seems wrong. But they love it. Peck the bones clean.

 

[Amethyste]

They are omnivores...they will eat fish. frogs, lizards, toads, flies, bugs, worms, carrion on the road.... fingers

I have mentioned before that as a little girl on my grandads farm all the chooks were way over in the field going haywire over something...turned out they were going to town on a dead deer someone had poached and left on the property.

Table scraps wont hurt them lol They LOVE the meat.

Its almost wrong to laugh at them going nuts over leftover chicken and rice casserole at my house. They LOVE the chicken.

Every so often I or my husband wil bring home a McD's cheeseburger or two for the girls from his lunch. Every time the meat is first thing they go for, then the bun.

Little dinosaurs are all they are you know!

 

[thekla]

yeah, mine love leftovers, mac and cheese a favorite, especially when it has tuna added, also spaghetti, and almost anything else, just be careful with salt and sugar (small amts only) plus any fruits and veggies (check treats chart for one or two with seeds that they shouldn't have - grape seeds etc) but squash and pumpkin seeds are fine.

 

[killions123]

:cdNo fruit though it will stop them from laying. My girls love table scraps.

 

[rstampa]

My girls eat almost anything I give them. Except they hate Broccoli.

They eat some berries but not to keen on apples and bananas And they haven't show any problems so far. The only thing you need to avoid are citrus fruits. Oranges, pineapple etc. Those will really put stop on egg production for sure.

 

[1birdlady]

My girls eat almost anything I give them. Except they hate Broccoli. They eat some berries but not to keen on apples and bananas And they haven't show any problems so far. The only thing you need to avoid are citrus fruits. Oranges, pineapple etc. Those will really put stop on egg production for sure.

Last edited by rstampa (Today 7:03

How funny....our 4 BR's go CRAZY for broccoli; when I go in with it in my hand, they flump for it! (Flump=fly jump)..

We are getting 3 eggs a day now from our 4...the last "freeloader" is Mimi, and she's just a little behind in development. She hardly has a comb or wattles, and no squat behaviour like the others yet. And she's the one the others "pick on" and she runs away every time.

But as far as citrus, they daily get some of our parrots leftovers, including orange pieces and Kiwi fruit....and it has not seemed to slow them down at all, as far as egg production. Their shells are firm and yolks gorgeous!

 

[lovemychix]

Mine always get scraps. I avoid too sweet and too salty. They always look forward to the "garbage bowl"