Food Scraps?

[autumn123]

Well, I don't give them just anything, but (in addition to their regular feed with grit and calcium) they get any plant based scraps, bread crumbles, oatmeal, BOSS. I give them minced garlic almost every day, and probiotics if I suspect any illness. I will pull up little tufts of tall green fresh grass for them too when I can't let them out. When I'm working in the yard and I hit a snag of grubs (like in an old stump) man, do they love it when I throw those into the pen!

 

[FredsDadTiny]

Do any of you actually buy chicken layer pellets??

 

[peeweesfarm]

Mine get layer crumbles they don't like pellets, an they get all scrapes, leftovers of all types

 

[Andiexb]

Do any of you actually buy chicken layer pellets??

I buy layer pellets. I've never bought crumble so I don't know if they'd prefer that

 

[Mtn Laurel]

Sure do buy pellets. The majority of their diet is fermented feed which is comprised of pellets, BOSS, and crimped oats. They also get our leftovers.

 

[FatherRoo]

I feed my three birds plenty of scrapes. I only give them plan bread thought when desperate to fatten them up, otherwise, its usually some healthy bread thata got oats baked into it, i've had my three eat an un-iced carrot cake, are top hen before she passed taught them how to fight a possum too, so unfortunately, they'll try and eat that too, plus alot of vegatables. We have a sulcata that the chickens wait tell he's fully fed before they rush in and steal his stuff and clean his face. So they eat lettuce, tomatos, apples, squash, pumkin, anything. How ever, we do use 'Bird-nades' as my little brother use to call them when we herd them up for a night or two. Its just cans of wet cat food and they go nuts.

 

[DuckRaiser]

Not giving your chicken scraps is a bad idea, their eggs won't be as healthy and neither will they.

 

[giverny28]

I imagine that someone in 4-H advised that you give no scraps. In my experience, the 4-H organization, while not bad, is geared differently than merely a hobbiest attitude. It is based off of commercialism and how to teach kids to become self-reliant from their animals. Again, I am not saying 4-H is bad, but it is not teaching kids to snuggle and have pets, which you kind of need to have in life, realistically speaking.
Commercial growers want a controlled product and therefore, the chicken is a scientific, sterile, product. One much more based off of percentages and growth rate charts. What percentage of protein and carbs and mineral counts, ect. They might also advise not to allow free ranging or pasteurizing a 4-H chicken for this same reason. Generally in organizations like 4-H, there is a certain breed standard, a size, weight, and shape that each breed standard must meet to "rank" when showing. Again, with an inconsistent intake of various nutrients and calories, this may "throw" your chicken off of the recommended grow rate for showing. While this may not be bad for the chicken, it doesn't do you any favors at show.
For many of us, having a BYC is far removed from this idea. For some of us, we desire a more natural chicken, or even a "pet" with a purpose, such as to reduce the amount of green waste we contribute to the environment, insect or weed control, something that benefits...gives us eggs or fertilizer for our garden, or even a type of purposeful exotic pet. For those reasons, if our bird takes an additional 2 weeks or longer to meet a certain weight or shape, or if they ever meet that standard, we are not concerned. We want healthy happy birds who give us eggs around the time they are naturally supposed to. For some, if they don't lay, due to age or some disability, we may be okay with that too. This isn't to say that 4-H chickens aren't happy or healthy, but the raising is quite different. And a disabled "Nemo" (one wing smaller than the other) bird isn't bringing home the bacon!
My recommendation, if you want it, is to sit down with your child and weigh the options. What is the real purpose of the 4-H project? If it is to win the blue ribbon, better find a way to meet the standards. If it is for the experience of showing, raising, and handling an animal, it really doesn't matter if there is a ribbon,so just go with your gut. If you are doing more than one bird, which many 4-Hers do to ensure an animal that can be entered, do a little experiment and see what you like more, control or natural or a mix.
Either way, the experience will be a positive one for your family. It is really just about communicating the real expectation and meeting it.
Hope that helps.

BTW- my children are in 4-H and raise both chickens, 7 different breeds to be exact, and Californian rabbits. We have chosen to raise pasteurized, 100% organic animals. Our experiment is to compare the food costs, and other expenses, while weighing the overall profit from our animals vs. someone using only commercial fed and caged or restricted animals.
We are documenting egg quality, meat quality and quantity, temperament, environmental (sanitation, and time spent doing chores), and all outside benefits our animals provide. This is added as an expense or something that benefits our household budget. Such as the expense of fertilizing our garden with organic fertilizers and manure, the lack of pesticides we may use to reduce household insects and insects in the garden, and other products we would lay down to "weed and feed" our lawn. We love our animals and we love being in 4-H too! We wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[Mom12x]

Our chickens get all of our food scraps, everything that doesn't go in the compost pile. We've never had a problem with sickness or death - other than predators.

 

[DuckRaiser]

Our chickens get all of our food scraps, everything that doesn't go in the compost pile. We've never had a problem with sickness or death - other than predators.