Feeding twice a day - when do you give treats?

[ShrekDawg]

Okay, then maybe I'm not understanding treats as opposed to food.

They are about a year old. I do want to give them some watermelon or cold thing on hot days, but I also consider this part of their food. Even a small wedge of watermelon is WAY more than a tablespoon per bird.

Same with yogurt which I give once a week. We're moving from expensive feed to foraging/scraps/composting method with some fodder and fermented grain. But it's not consistent yet.

What is considered a treat as opposed to a food? If I hang an apple up, is that a treat? Or part of their diet that day? What if I hang a new veg or fruit every day because it's food? Is that a treat or part of their diet?

Appreciate the help!

It doesn’t have to be exactly a tablespoon and an occasional watermelon during the heat is fine but they should not be getting treats and scratch and everything daily or huge amounts often.

Anything other than the commercial feed is usually considered a treat and those should be no more than 10% of their daily diet. And for my birds, scratch is like candy to them and if they had a choice they would fill up on that rather than their pellets especially if offered together.

They do like crumble better and are more willing to eat that so you could switch to that but even then, they would choose the scratch I’m sure. With fermenting, that would probably eliminate the choice and get them to eat the good stuff, but even then… scratch is not nutritious. It’s just empty calories like candy or donuts.

 

[RubyLady]

It's one thing to offer supplemental feed a few times a day to chickens who are ranging and foraging all day and another thing to limit feed for chickens who are confined to a run and have limited access to forage.

Additionally, modern chickens are MUCH more productive than their ancestors several human generations ago.

A few months ago a person linked a .pdf of a poultry-keeping book from 1921 that applied the then-latest scientific principles to the task of getting 100 eggs per bird per year -- from LEGHORNS. Today we'd expect more than that from a Brahma.

We'd expect a Leghorn or other high-production breed to lay in excess of 300 eggs per year (I have a California White who has missed only 2 days since she first started laying in early December), and an average dual-purpose breed to lay 200-250 eggs per year.

There are different philosophies in chicken keeping. Mine is to make their lives as natural as I can within the limits of the fact that I keep them confined in a run for their safety (and the safety of my vegetable garden), and expect a high level of production.

Thank you so much for that explanation. That makes sense.

 

[RubyLady]

It doesn’t have to be exactly a tablespoon and an occasional watermelon during the heat is fine but they should not be getting treats and scratch and everything daily or huge amounts often.

Anything other than the commercial feed is usually considered a treat and those should be no more than 10% of their daily diet. And for my birds, scratch is like candy to them and if they had a choice they would fill up on that rather than their pellets especially if offered together.

They do like crumble better and are more willing to eat that so you could switch to that but even then, they would choose the scratch I’m sure. With fermenting, that would probably eliminate the choice and get them to eat the good stuff, but even then… scratch is not nutritious. It’s just empty calories like candy or donuts.

That makes sense, thanks. Since we'll be running out of pellets soon and switching to where all food is just food (in proper nutrient proportions, of course), this will all be moot, but everyone has helped me understand a lot more today.

 

[3KillerBs]

Thank you so much for that explanation. That makes sense.

You're welcome.

Our chickens today are not our grandmothers' chickens and our way of keeping them is not our grandmothers' way of keeping them.

 

[ShrekDawg]

That makes sense, thanks. Since we'll be running out of pellets soon and switching to where all food is just food (in proper nutrient proportions, of course), this will all be moot, but everyone has helped me understand a lot more today.

No problem!

 

[RubyLady]

You're welcome.

Our chickens today are not our grandmothers' chickens and our way of keeping them is not our grandmothers' way of keeping them.

I understand the sentiment, but at 62, I find that everything I do as my grandparents did has better results than anything I could do in a modern way. I learned how to live from my grandparents. I don't live a modern life as it is. No cell phones or TV, plastic trash bags, or much packaged foods, magazines, microwave. I still hang my laundry on a line!

I do suspect, as you say, their chickens did forage more freely so we have plans to make their pen MUCH bigger and add frames under which we can grow grass and seeds so they always have greens. I think that would give them a better diet anyway. And I can take them out for 4 hours instead of two. I'm sure some compromise would work best for me.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Since we're switching to fermented feed to cut down costs, can a glop like that work in a hanging feeder? Won't that go icky sticky in one of those plastic or metal buckets?

If you are planning on fermenting, you'll need a different feeder for that. Can be as simple as plastic, glass or ceramic bowls (I use cat feed bowls or prep bowls), or I've seen rain gutters cut and capped to make a longer feed trough if you have a bigger flock.

 

[RubyLady]

If you are planning on fermenting, you'll need a different feeder for that. Can be as simple as plastic, glass or ceramic bowls (I use cat feed bowls or prep bowls), or I've seen rain gutters cut and capped to make a longer feed trough if you have a bigger flock.

I have a drywall mud pan with the sharp metal edges removed. I use that sometimes for the extra fruit and such from the house or trees. Maybe I could use that. With only four chickens, it seems big enough, without being too big.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I have a drywall mud pan with the sharp metal edges removed. I use that sometimes for the extra fruit and such from the house or trees. Maybe I could use that. With only four chickens, it seems big enough, without being too big.

Pretty much anything can work as long as it's fairly open and can't clog, which is what would happen if you put fermented feed in a typical hanging feeder,

 

[cmom]

I started keeping chickens around 50 years ago. Things were much different then. The birds did get feed which was always available to them but did free range as well. They did get some grains and seeds but back then feed wasn't as available as it is now. There were very few backyard flocks back then compared to now. We didn't have the predator issues back then either. I'm sure there were plenty but maybe there was enough natural prey, I really don't know. The birds were in a coop at night. Now I do raise my birds for showing/exhibition at poultry shows so I want them to look and be their best. I do feed them poultry feed as their main diet that is always available to them. When I do give the birds seeds and grains they also get granite grit since they don't have teeth to chew, it gets chewed/ground up in their gizzards. I add the grit to their feeders and it filters into the pan and they take what they want. Certain times of the year such as breeding season the birds get a higher protein feed as I think it helps the chicks I hatch out and the chicks get a higher protein feed while they are growing out. Also during the molting season the birds get the higher protein feed to help with the feather growth. Their feathers are made of primarily protein. Everyone is different as well as their situations so I do what works best for me and my flocks. Good luck and have fun...