How many treats can I give my chickens a day?

[Easter eggers]

Just wondering. How many treats can I give my chickens a day?

 

[Imp]

You can give them as many as you want. A rule of thumb is to keep it to 10% or less of their total diet, for optimal laying & health.

Imp

 

[Pony Trotsky]

Does anybody happen to know where the 10% rule actually comes from?

Being a rather jaded and cynical person, I would tend to suppose that it comes directly from the manufacturers of chicken feed - but, of course, I could be quite wrong about that, and would love to know for sure.

 

[ranchhand]

Raising kids?

 

[LottieDa]

Since our girls free range all day and eat bugs and leaves and weeds, it's hard to measure how much would be 10% of their diet. But I haven't noticed a difference in egg production when I spoil them from time to time with mealworms and fruit.