Food Scraps?

[CuriousChicken]

My Roo eats what ever we eat, he has preferences but for the most part he'll eat anything. Spicy foods area favorite, he'd eat a glob of hot sauce straight if I let him! Toxic foods such as chocolate and green potato peels are off limits of coarse. Although he gets up set because I'm not sharing!

 

[petercriddell]

Leafy greens, grains and bread and nothing with added salt and some fruit. No potatoes, just to be safe.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I try to think of foods that are good for me, that would be good for them.

I do give lean meats--Fish, Venison. I don't give poultry to my poultry. LOL. Only exception being a scrambled egg if somebody is in a bad molt or not feeling well.
I give fruit and veggie trimmings. (except citrus/pineapple--high acid stuff)
I don't give bread. I don't like the idea of the yeast product going into their crops. I will give pasta noodles on rare occasions. I love watching them run with spaghetti in their beaks. LOL. But it's really rare that I have left over spaghetti noodles. Kids hoover those!

If it's got mold--no. If it smells ripe--no. I don't judge people that do give food scraps that are different than mine-- that are a little extra juicy...because I'm sure my Grandmas did that. But this is just me.

 

[Altovise]

I feed mines every thing but in moderation.

 

[allotmentmad]

I feed mine layers pellets as their main feed as this provides balanced nutrients for laying on a regular basis. Corn is a treat - like chocolate for hens, dried meal worms, weeds from my allotment, outer brassica leaves and occasionally other scraps. When I fed mine alot of kitchen scraps they stopped laying

 

[StephanieRuth]

I have two bowls out for scraps when I'm cooking: one for the chickens, one for the rabbit. The chickens get all the cooked food scraps, though no chicken meat (just doesn't feel right, feeding them their own kind!) including old stale bread, hummus, squishy tomatoes - they scarf it all down. I give them the fish guts and clam guts too when my boyfriend cleans them. They eat everything. I see no harm, no change in eggs, no weird droppings. If anything, they become more devoted to you!! The bearer of treats, lol!

 

[memere maynard]

...

We are going to get chickens for my son's 4-H project.   they say not to feed the chicken table scraps but I always thought you could.  What do you all do?

 

[memere maynard]

I think that our chickens love to get a few scraps....it gives them a little diversity in their diet. They seem to look forward to treats from the Fridge or the table. Even apples or oranges that have started to become less than desirable. Tomatoes, potatoe peelings, celery that is too limp.....any of that in moderation. And it slows them down from eating my flowers from the garden! Have fun with it!

 

[AtariSass]

Mine eat everything I give them! We have three kids at home too so I can assure you, they've been fed everything! Except avocado... I've read lots of bad things about that.... so I usually don't even buy it to make sure. They particularly love bones I've made bone broth from. They are so soft and they can eat them right up! Gives them a good dose of calcium too. Of course I too feed layer feed in the morning. After that, they get stuff from the kitchen whenever it's available. They are piranha chickens! Lol! Oh, be careful with spaghetti though... If you don't chop it up sometimes they get it stuck half in and half out if another chicken doesn't help them by picking it off, lol. Just a thought.

 

[kfarrell]

My theory is that the idea that you cannot feed your chicken scraps comes from companies that make store bought chicken feed or those who support then. A chickens natural diet DOES NOT COME IN A BAG. They have survived just fine long before corporations started making a profit on the processed and bagged crap.

Of course, there does need to be some knowledge beforehand to insure that you are not giving them something harmful, although most of the time if that is the case the chickens know what not to eat. So long as their base nutritional requirements are being met, there is no logical reason why you can't.