Home made feed and things to think about feeding your chickens.

[folgerrd]

Hey guys! I have been feeding my chick home-made chick starter and a few treats for a little while now and I am what you call an over-protective chicken momma. If when I was little thought my mom was bad with me I should have met future me than I would have never called her over-protective again. But I know why I am like that, I am severly allergic to peanuts(and for most my life, other nuts as well) and have had first hand experience on having a reaction and being always afraid "that will be the sandwhich that was cooked too close to peanuts and will kill me" So I kinda get a real understanding of how mere contact or scent can be a muderer. Now don't get me wrong, I know my allergies are way more extreme than giving my chicks one apple seed but it gives me a bit of insight(also not saying none of you have any insight).
So that is why I did a crazy scrounge-up-all-feeding-chickens-info-day. And I have learned some interesting things I thought I should share.

1. Yoghurt is something people feed their hens all the time, should they? Go ahead! But that doesn't mean milk and cheese and cream are fine, in fact the opposite. Chickens can not have milk unless you want to clean up liquidy poo. Oh an plain yoghurt is the way to go.
2. Your diet may say slow down on the carbs but does that mean they're bad for your chicken? NOPE! In fact a chicken needs carbohydrates for energy and warmth. Oh and as an extra tid-bit, screw the diet you need a certain amount of carbs too.
3. I have heard you can give your chickens cat food, is it true? Sort of. It can only be the dry stuff and minimal amounts. Do not decide to save money by buying one feed to share between cat and chickens.
4. Okay so yoghurt is good, can I give them some of my low-fat Greek yoghurt? No, and yes. You can, but why do it? One of the benefits of yoghurt to a chicken is the fats. It needs them.
5. I have heard I can feed them beans, can I? Yes and no. You can feed them well cooked beans, but dried or undercooked are bad.
6. So I know They can't have chocolate because of the sugar, is there any sweet thing they can have? Yes, chocolate. Now do not start ranting about how wrong I am because you need to read this part to understand: You can give them the following type(AND ONLY THE FOLLOWING TYPE): Organic dark 70% or higher, the higher the better. But at the same time don't. It is crazy expensive to but for a chicken, especially when while it isn't bad for them they don't benefit from it either.
7. Chickens have so little taste buds, can they taste the feed? Nope-ish. with 24 taste buds, you taste water melon and yoghurt, they tast sweet juice and thick flavourless stuff. You taste seedy, starchy, bitter chicken feed, they taste seedy feed. However they can taste salt like you and I, but give them minimal amounts and make sure they have plenty of water. It should take up no more than 0.5% of their diet..

Those were just some interesting variables to some of the feeding rules we stand by. If you have anything to add let me know!

 

[cutechick2010]

When you say don't feed them milk, are you talking about store bought milk, or the real stuff? Because my chickens get raw cow or goat milk pretty frequently, and have never had a problem. Same way with one of my friend's birds, she gives her chickens and turkeys fresh raw goat milk every day and they do great on it, love the stuff. If you gave them the pasteurized milk, that is probably why they had a problem.Pasteurized milk is harder to digest, a lot of the people who have been diagnosed lactose intolerant can drink raw milk without a problem.

 

[Mykee]

Also, I've heard whey (from making cheese) is really good for chickens. But how do you "feed" milk? Alongside water?

 

[weimlikeschicks]

I disagree on the apple seed, your allergies sound worse..

I also would say there is a difference in raw milk vs pasteurized, and the benefits are not just the fats but also the probiotics and microbs for a healthy gut. Same with yogurt, which is why I would rather give them love fat with live cultures than the fake yogurt with no live bacteria. The best is homemade from raw milk though, but I cant get it allot.

Feed recipes are all over the internet, but my favorite natural feeding program is the Korean one. I dont remember the ratios but its a certain amount of grain and fish and leafy greens, maybe some other stuff.

 

[folgerrd]

No, you are right. I didn't figure many people drank un-processed milk(it's actually illegal here to sell it) so I didn't add that in.

 

[folgerrd]

I disagree on the apple seed, your allergies sound worse..

I also would say there is a difference in raw milk vs pasteurized, and the benefits are not just the fats but also the probiotics and microbs for a healthy gut. Same with yogurt, which is why I would rather give them love fat with live cultures than the fake yogurt with no live bacteria. The best is homemade from raw milk though, but I cant get it allot.

Feed recipes are all over the internet, but my favorite natural feeding program is the Korean one. I dont remember the ratios but its a certain amount of grain and fish and leafy greens, maybe some other stuff.

I meant to say My allergies are worse. I will edit that and fix the typo.
May I ask what love fat is? I am assuming you meant low but I want to be sure.

 

[folgerrd]

Also, I've heard whey (from making cheese) is really good for chickens. But how do you "feed" milk? Alongside water?

If you were to feed them it, yes.

 

[weimlikeschicks]

Haha yeah, low fat

I like this topic allot, what is you feed mix recipe?

 

[folgerrd]

Why thank you! I will post the one I amcurrently using(chick starter) and the actual chicken feed recipe.

 

[Mykee]

Haha yeah, low fat

I like this topic allot, what is you feed mix recipe?

I like this topic too. Maybe I should be a chicken nutritionist.