Home Feeding Ideas and Solutions Discussion Thread

[ducklucky]

You remind me of me when I first started a decade ago. OMG, my chickens were so spoiled it was ridiculous! They still are, of course, but not like then (course we've put on some years ourselves). Have also found raisins are their all time favorite, used to use them to train them to come in at night. When they saw those, they came a runnin'!!! Kinda expensive, but they're not particular about brand names, get the cheapest out there as long as they're not treated with preservatives. They will climb all over you for raisins.

 

[fairytails]

Between my rabbit and my chicks, I have no need whatsoever for a mechanical garbage disposal! Bunny gets the ends of lettuce, cucumbers and the like that are trimmed. Stale bread and cheese are "for the birds" in moderation. They mainly receive commercial feed for a balanced diet.

I do have a couple of trees that are either very small crabapples, or chokecherries. I tried feeding chickies a few. Are these berries with pits OK to feed? These are very small berries, possibly a bit sour as they didn't go just "nuts" over them. About 1/2 inch in diameter. But they did get eaten. I could take a photo of the trees, but are definitely either cherry or crabapple.

 

[abbottcostello]

I'm going to try this, is it better to use raw meat? Can a left over pork chop be used? What about that package of buger you put into the fridge to thaw out and forgot about it, and its not smelling to good or looking to good either?

 

[fairytails]

Meat will be tricky. If it does not smell right or look right to you, it could have very high bacterial count and why take that risk? Speaking as a former biologist and food-safety expert*-- high protein, moist foods like meat and some milk products should not be left at room temperature longer than 2-3 hours, ever. Below 45 degrees farenheit or over 140 degrees are the safe temperatures. The exception to this rule is while making yogurt using controlled bacterial colonies, but be sure to keep the yogurt covered while processing!**
Cheese can be safer than meat, left out a little longer due to high salt content in types like cheddar, but still is a risk at temperatures above refrigeration. When I feed a dairy product I make sure it is in an amount that will be eaten within an hour. Personally speaking, I am buying vegetarian feed for my birds.
*but still a person new to chicken raising
** I enjoy making my own yogurt like many here

 

[Sallysec]

I noticed another recall tonight on pet "treats" ...scary how you think your buying something nice for your pet....makes me believe in threads like these more. At least you know what your animals are eating.

 

[galanie]

If you have meat that is starting to smell a bit off, cook it somehow before feeding it to the birds. In fact I'd not give them any raw meat. While it's true that they will eat a dead sparrow or something that has been sitting around (I saw one eating a rotten dove's head yesterday ) I won't take the chance with something purposefully given. It's just too easy to boil or bake something. Even a glob of hamburger meat. Just pretend it's a meat loaf or something. Put it on a cookie sheet or in a loaf pan and bake away.

 

[ducklucky]

It's so true, chickens will eat just about anything, a mouse, dead bird, whatever, my husband injured himself outside a couple of years ago, and they went nuts over pecking at the blood. Have to remember our chickens may be "domesticated" but they go back to prehistoric times, so they had to survive, sure those genes still are there. Personally, I wouldn't give them rotten meat, and do not like to give them meat at all except as a leftover I just can't bear to throw out, but sour milk seems to be fine, just not too sour (like months sour). Mine are kinda picky, if I have a half melon that has gone by in fridge, they turn their noses, er, beaks, up. Funny girls!

 

[abbottcostello]

thanks for the info, I don't think I'll feed meat except cooked left overs every now and then.

 

[bruceha2000]

I peel core and freeze cukes all the time for our salads in the winter w/o any problems.

Why core? Are they a variety with large seeds? I found a variety labeled "Japanese Cucumber" at the local nursery a couple of years ago. I have no idea what the scientific name is. In any case, the seeds are small and stay that way even if the cuke is 8" long and 3" wide. And they taste really good as well.

Bruce

 

[bruceha2000]

I have just come in from harvesting BOSS. I started the seeds May 1 in my greenhouse. Put them out 3 weeks later. We just had our first frost so I am cutting off the heads and will dry them on a bench in the garage. I got my organic seed from a garden supply store who was selling them to use for sprouts for humans. I'll feed a whole head a day to supplement my grain. I don't feed commercial mix, just whole grains. Has anyone else raised BOSS?

Carol

I'm on that for next year. We used to occasionally grow a couple of sunflowers at the house in the city. We never got any seeds because there were tons of gray squirrels. They would cut the heads off before the seeds were totally formed and make off with them. They would clean out the bird feeders daily even if it meant jumping 8' from a wall to get on the feeder, then hang upside down to eat. Oddly, now that we have a house away from tons of civilization, very few squirrels. In fact, I'm not sure we had more than one last winter. Never saw more than one at a time if we did. And I found a dead squirrel at the bottom of the above ground pool in the spring so we might have ZERO squirrels this winter.

I read here on BYC that chickens love BOSS and after I figured out what it was

I got a bag. I would do this anyway since we've been filling bird feeders with black oil sunflower seed all winter for years.

So I go out with my little container of BOSS and sit on the ground. They know that means I SOMETIMES have treats, originally it was earwigs, though I don't always and they get all pecky in those cases.

Being chickens, they were both afraid as heck of whatever it was I had in my palm and curious at the same time. Those that are more brave, especially the ones who love earwigs and will jump in my lap if I have any, got the closest and eyed the little black things. A little peck and retreat. Finally swallowed one, thought about it and came back for more. I had to toss some on the ground for the birds that NEVER eat out of my hand, especially the 2 Anconas. Now that they know what it is they come running over and cluster around me as I sit down like I'm Hans Christian Anderson about to tell them a great story. Even the Anconas are pushing in to get some FROM MY HAND. Now I have to make sure the smaller birds (the Cubalayas) get some because they can't push past the bigger birds.

So, moral of the story (at least with my chickens): Give them BOSS!

Bruce