How Much Bread is To Much!!

[PD-Riverman]

Anyone done any research on feeding bread to your chickens. Heard all about crop impaction?? We all know layers need good feed to lay good so we will feed them a little bread. How about some roosters---how much bread is to much bread for them?? I might be coming into a decent amount of bread each week to feed some hogs?? Just trying to do a little research on how Much is to much for the chickens??

 

[azygous]

I give one piece in the morning between four chickens, wouldn't do it but it has become routine and chickens hate change. No ill effects except for fat chickens.

If there's one thing chickens do well, it's guilt-tripping you, and they use flock dynamics at their full advantage to gang up on you until you do what they want. Call it what it is - terrorism by poultry.

 

[Kiki]

http://articles.extension.org/pages/69065/feeding-chickens-for-egg-production

http://edepot.wur.nl/4262
http://thehappyscientist.com/blog/feeding-bread-birds

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0733521083710167?via=ihub

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11368618
Don't kill me PD....I like proof...I'm looking into this for you and posted these all here so I can read them with you.

 

[PD-Riverman]

Don't kill me PD....I like proof...I'm looking into this for you and posted these all here so I can read them with you.

LOL, No problem, but when you get all this read----turn in your final findings/report for me to read!!! LOL

 

[Ridgerunner]

I did not see anything those links that addresses crop compaction, maybe I missed it. I did see where they were sometimes fed bread. It was interesting reading though. I don't know if your question is about crop compaction or nutritional values. You are more of a commercial type operation than a typical backyard flock. I can certainly understand you looking for a good source of inexpensive feed. Your feed bill has to be impressive.

I've seen a few warnings on here about possible crop compaction but nothing more than "bread can cause crop compaction". I certainly haven't seen why. They don't mention type of bread either. If you take certain kinds of bread and wad it up in your hand it can form a kind of lump, there might be something to it, I don't know. Their digestive juices might or might not prevent that.

I toss bread to mine all the time as part of kitchen wastes. Usually it's a pretty small amount but occasionally the wife has an entire loaf that can go. I don't throw the entire loaf to them but spread it out over two or three days. I have a relatively small flock and they will eat bread like candy. I feed stuff like that in moderation, at least most of the time.

As far as nutrition, what else are you feeding them? What kinds of bread and what is the nutritional value of everything you are feeding them including the bread? They need an overall balanced diet consisting of the nutrients they need in certain proportions. That can differ a little between layers and meat birds. Protein is important but it's a lot of other nutrients, vitamins, and minerals too. Even if I knew all that I don't have the expertise to make that assessment for you.

Maybe your county extension office can help with that. That would be my call.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I noticed that sweet cakes thing too. That gets back to the type of bread and it's nutritional value. I don't think a small amount of sweet cake would hurt but I'd be concerned about large amounts. I'm thinking fatty liver syndrome and other obesity problems.

For those two that feed bread, what kind if productivity are they getting? How much bread are they feeding? Chickens can pretty much fulfill their nutritional needs from foraging in a rich foraging environment. Depending on the quality of the forage productivity may suffer greatly. But if the overall feed costs are basically zero, you may be OK with lower productivity.

Just asking how much is too much without considering what else they are eating is a lot like asking how high is up. There is no answer to that. And you have to factor in your goals. I believe chickens can live on a diet that is mostly bread. Dad used to raise baby chicks he got from the Co-Op on nothing but corn meal until they were three or four weeks old and could be set out to forage for themselves. Did they grow as fast and feather out as fast as chicks fed a Starter diet, of course not. But they grew and did OK for his purposes. I don't feed mine like that but I could. it doesn't suit my goals.

 

[Chickassan]

If there's one thing chickens do well, it's guilt-tripping you, and they use flock dynamics at their full advantage to gang up on you until you do what they want. Call it what it is - terrorism by poultry.

I know this way too well. One morning i had no bread, two solid hours at the backdoor and i swear they were saying breaaad, bread, bread. Made me feel terrible, got two pieces the next morning because in a sucker.

 

[biophiliac]

Anyone done any research on feeding bread to your chickens. Heard all about crop impaction?? We all know layers need good feed to lay good so we will feed them a little bread. How about some roosters---how much bread is to much bread for them?? I might be coming into a decent amount of bread each week to feed some hogs?? Just trying to do a little research on how Much is to much for the chickens??

As you can see from the photo, people here in WI take advantage of cheap/free stale bread to supplement food costs. It's a pic of my cockerel Kebechet - "just call me Chet" in his new home in the country. At first I was agast to see they what they were feeding my boy, but really as adults they mostly free range. So I think its all good, at least he avoided the stew pot for now and snuck into the pullet pen to take charge of the flock of girls which were destined to be his anyway.

My girls I did give small amounts of bread as a special treat only. They seem to value it very highly, like we do say...donuts? I would think too much would not be good. JMO

PS I dont think crop impaction is an issue.

 

[Hybridchucks]

me and my mum went shopping at about 8;00 everynight and bought bread for about 1p each! We used some of the bread but we did give the hens about two loaves everyday! We wondered why the hens were not laying, BREAD! Bread stops them laying!!!!
So we only gave them a couple of slices a day (I have 7 hens).....so...yeah!!!

 

[Kiki]

me and my mum went shopping at about 8;00 everynight and bought bread for about 1p each! We used some of the bread but we did give the hens about two loaves everyday! We wondered why the hens were not laying, BREAD! Bread stops them laying!!!!
So we only gave them a couple of slices a day (I have 7 hens).....so...yeah!!!

From what I am reading..the studies...it's not so much the bread that stops them from laying...it's because they are not getting a balanced diet.
(I CAN NOT BELIEVE I AM ABOUT TO SAY THIS So feeding bread every now and then is not bad.

What PD wants to know is if anyone feeds only bread or a mostly bread diet.
(@PD-Riverman I'm reading still)