Feeding scraps/Seeking answer to settle a friendly bet

[Ariel301]

There are people out there raising chickens on nothing but scraps. It's a primary diet for chickens in some places, where there is no commercially packaged chicken feed.

 

[geebs]

I would be careful what I feed them... It would be what I would eat myself and no "junk food"... some human food is TOXIC to chickens.. If they don't clean it up could bring flies and flystrike, diahreah (spelling??) and rodents and vermin... I feed mine grains, spices and even cat food but I am careful not to overfeed human food that can lead to obesity and prolapse etc.. No potatoe peelings green beans etc.. Nothing nightshade plant... read up here this could surprise you... Nothing that can mold... Mold kills. Flies kill, rodents attract disease and weasels that kill... Nothing that attracts birds in that can bring in mites, lice, disease.

 

[Barry Natchitoches]

Tomatoes are nightshades.


Chickens -- like humans -- can eat the FRUIT of the nightshade plants, but the rest of the plants (leaves, stems, roots) are poisonous to both humans and chickens.

 

[mistyfeather]

mine absolutely love meat

and chicken left overs. the first chicken carcas i gave the girls yeilded 2 new layers the next day

(coinsidence but they were rewarded for their first eggs !)

 

[Tropical Chook]

I always feed mine meat offcuts and scraps, cooked or raw, and never a problem yet. I'm yet to see my birds leave any scraps laying about long enough to attract rodents and etc. With 14 birds, the average time it takes them to eat anything I toss out is approximately 0.0001 seconds.

 

[Kittymomma]

They love it! I've been canning salmon the last few weeks and if a jar cracks in the canner the chooks get the meat. It takes them less then two minutes to devour a pint jar. They also get leftover taco meat, chicken, etc.

 

[HorizonSon]

This DOES bring up something very "interesting". If allowed, chickens will naturally consume "mostly" bugs = raw meat and fat! To this day; I can not wrap any logical thinking around why the bell a company would advertise that they feed their chickens an artificial, unnatural and perverse vegetarian diet?! I have to continue to remind myself that most people do NOT do actual research; but rather, just believe anything they hear on a tv show or any propaganda they read.
I know that quite a few of you are true "truth seekers" like myself. This is one reason why I love you all so much, so easily

 

[woodmort]

Quote:
While I will agree with your premise that any moldy food is not a good idea and leaving food around--be it leftovers or grain, spices or cat food--where it attracts vermin is also to be avoided, I question some of your other ideas--green beans--no harm, tomatoes are nightshade family and can cause no harm either. I can't think of anything a human can safely eat that is toxic to chickens--including cooked potatoes. My chickens even love to eat fly larva and, if they can catch them, flies. In fact, given the problems of the last year or so in re to pet food, feeding cat food may not be a good idea. I'd also like you to reference me where is says human food, in particular, can cause prolapse. If anything too much grain, especially corn, can cause obesity.

 

[thechickenchick]

Quote:
While I will agree with your premise that any moldy food is not a good idea and leaving food around--be it leftovers or grain, spices or cat food--where it attracts vermin is also to be avoided, I question some of your other ideas--green beans--no harm, tomatoes are nightshade family and can cause no harm either. I can't think of anything a human can safely eat that is toxic to chickens--including cooked potatoes. My chickens even love to eat fly larva and, if they can catch them, flies. In fact, given the problems of the last year or so in re to pet food, feeding cat food may not be a good idea. I'd also like you to reference me where is says human food, in particular, can cause prolapse. If anything too much grain, especially corn, can cause obesity.

Agreed. Last year I threw the whole tomato vine, fruit and all. They didn't touch the plant but had fun digging through it to find the tomatoes.

I would say you won that bet. Mine get everything we don't eat. I have noticed they don't like raw potato peels but if I have a bunch I will take the time to boil them up then treat them.

 

[chicksbestfriend]

Whatever doesnt go into the compost, it goes to the chickens!

My grandmother, who is in her 90's, gets the biggest kick out of me when I share with her all the special treats and feeds that I give to my chickens because she often shares with me that when she was growing up and raising chickens, left over table scraps was the only thing that her chickens ate and they were healthy and no problems with them laying eggs for the table and reproducing for continued meat source for the family. One more vote on your side!