How Many Treats Is Too Many?

[AmyJane725]

Hey guys,

I have recently introduced my babies to meal worms, and they're obsessed with them now. I'm kind of a soft touch, and I'm worried I'm giving them fatty liver disease...

I currently have 12 babies, and they get approximately 6 meal worms a day each (though some of them definitely get more and others get less because of stealing). That doesn't sound like a lot, but that amounts to 500 worms a week. They've gone through 1,000 worms in the 2 weeks since I introduced them (500 mini worms and 500 large worms, if there really are 500 in those containers at Petco. Not sure how they determine that. Is it someone's job to count out meal worms into plastic cups for people? There were 15 babies up until this past Saturday when I re-homed 3 little roo boys, so average has increased from 5 to 6 worms a piece starting yesterday.)

I know treats are supposed to only account for 10% of their diet, but it's hard to know what that really means since they have 24/7 access to their feed, so I don't really know how much they eat to begin with, much less what 10% of that is.

Their feed protein is adequate (18%), though not quite as high as I'd like (20%), so I'm hoping supplementing them with the worms isn't too bad. Those worms do have fat too though, so I'm nervous. I am planning on switching to soldier fly larva (much higher calcium & fiber/lower fat) once they're laying. The worms are just extra exciting right now because they're alive/wiggly. I was hoping to use them as training treats. (Want the babies to start learning their names soon).

So, how horrible of a chicken parent am I? Am I making KFC from the inside out?

What are some healthier treats your birds enjoy? And how much/often do you give them?

Also, if any of you have tips on teaching chicks their names I'd love to hear them. What age do they start being able to learn, and what was your technique? My older babies are one month old today, and the younger ones are three weeks.

 

[Timothy Menezes]

They should be fine, they are young and will burn off that extra fat. I am glad that your using treats for a training purpose instead of just feeding them as a matter of course.

I use treats as a tool to get them to do what I want them to do, or go where I need them to go.

 

[AmyJane725]

They should be fine, they are young and will burn off that extra fat. I am glad that your using treats for a training purpose instead of just feeding them as a matter of course.

I use treats as a tool to get them to do what I want them to do, or go where I need them to go.

I think the treats have proven to be great for bonding/trust building as well. They definitely have positive associations with me now, and come running when I get near the pen. When they were really little they used to come running when I'd call. Then, once they got a little bigger and their instincts started kicking in they got really wary/scared of me trying to pick them up. Now they all come and climb all over me, sit on my lap, and if I stretch my legs out straight they all line up on them and roost/fall asleep on me.

 

[Soy Milano]

Why don't you give them some fresh greens? (lettuce, kale, etc.)

 

[Soy Milano]

Just don't give them anything on this list - http://www.chickendvm.com/toxic.php

 

[aart]

I know treats are supposed to only account for 10% of their diet, but it's hard to know what that really means since they have 24/7 access to their feed, so I don't really know how much they eat to begin with, much less what 10% of that is.

Put so much feed in the feeder every morning,
using a scoop taht easy to eyeball the amount,
adjust each day by how much is left.
After a couple weeks(with no treats being given) you should have a pretty good idea of how much they are eating each day.

And how much/often do you give them?

Maybe once a week.
Treats are more for keepers than chickens.
A good chicken ration is all they need and the best balanced nutrition for them overall.

 

[Sequel]

It's nice to have treats to train with but if you just love to spoil them, wet their regular food with water and set little globs of it around, they love to find it! No guilt on your part and they will think you're the most wonderful keeper on the planet!

 

[Peppercorngal]

One of my chicken's favorite treats is 20% chick food crumble. They act like I'm giving them candy when I pour some of that out for them! Other treats my chickens get once a month are yogurt and lettuce or cabbage heads. I too, use the dried meal worms to get them to go where I want them to (usually into their run when they are not ready for bed yet!). I give them rice straw to keep them busy at times as well.

 

[igorsMistress]

I agree you're fine. I wouldn't increase the number of worms as they grow, they need a limit and using treats for training is an excellent idea.

Chicken feed is like any other commercially available animal feed...it meets the minimum daily requirements only. Storage time and conditions can degrade it. Supplementing with healthy things is good.

Avoid corn, it has no nutritional value, same for iceburg lettuce.

My chicks LOVE greens and herbs. I put them in a suet feeder daily and whatever they don't finish by the end of the day goes to the compost. Garlic you can chop and free feed once in a while, the same for ginger. Yes, I know they're on a list but the chicks don't over eat them. Blueberries are excellent too. My current littles get a small handful of scratch, no corn, when they go to bed.

If you give your chicks anything other than their feed you do need to provide grit.

 

[Acre4Me]

In general, a full-grown adult laying hen eats approx 1/4lb of feed/day. This is approx 1/2Cup, which is 8 Tablespoons, which is 24 teaspoons.

So, 10% max treats based on daily feed for an adult chicken would be approximately 2 teaspoons or less than a single tablespoon per bird.

You have chicks of a particular age and they are not eating a 1/2cup a day of feed per chick, so you should assume around a teaspoon or less of treats per day across all treats.

Of course, in wintertime birds tend to eat more food. And in hot weather, chickens tend to eat less food, so you would adjust accordingly.