How much SALT is to much in a chickens diet

[al6517]

I have always know that excess salt in a chickens diet can be harmful, but how much is to much. We have 60 chickens and often feed good well balanced things from the table, I do not feed things I think are to salty, but just not sure.

AL

 

[digitS']

AL, with 60 chickens, I'd be surprised if your left-overs would go very far.

This book Mineral Tolerance of Domestic Animals, gives 2% dietary salt as the "maximum tolerable level" for chickens and turkeys. You should note that this is a lower level than for cows and sheep.

In Nutrient Requirements of Poultry, none of their chick diets have as much as 1%.

With the adults eating say 110 grams of feed each day - 2 grams of salt would be only tolerable. Perhaps, 1/2 gram would be needed.

A teaspoon of salt is about 5 grams. It looks like that would be just about enuf to kill a hen. Maybe even a half of a teaspoon would be fatal.

On average, American adults are eating over 8 grams of salt a day but we are consuming that with about 2 pounds of food (still too much salt!). That's enuf food for 5 or 6 chickens. Two pounds of food is about 1,000 grams so our food is a little too salty for a chicken but IF WE'D JUST CUT DOWN on the salt - chicken and human should both be okay

.

Steve

 

[EnderianQueen]

AL, with 60 chickens, I'd be surprised if your left-overs would go very far.

This book Mineral Tolerance of Domestic Animals, gives 2% dietary salt as the "maximum tolerable level" for chickens and turkeys. You should note that this is a lower level than for cows and sheep.

In Nutrient Requirements of Poultry, none of their chick diets have as much as 1%.

With the adults eating say 110 grams of feed each day - 2 grams of salt would be only tolerable. Perhaps, 1/2 gram would be needed.

A teaspoon of salt is about 5 grams. It looks like that would be just about enuf to kill a hen. Maybe even a half of a teaspoon would be fatal.

On average, American adults are eating over 8 grams of salt a day but we are consuming that with about 2 pounds of food (still too much salt!). That's enuf food for 5 or 6 chickens. Two pounds of food is about 1,000 grams so our food is a little too salty for a chicken but IF WE'D JUST CUT DOWN on the salt - chicken and human should both be okay

.

Steve

So 75 mg would be fine?

 

[Altairsky]

If it's too salty for you then it's too salty for chickens. Normal salt in human healthy diet is also tolerated by chickens (the salt you normally put on a steak, is not harmful for chickens, for example).
Salty junk food like potato chips and industrial cheese is also junk food for chickens.
Hard cheese like Parmesan crusts is, in my opinion, too salty for chickens. Cottage cheese is healthy and very nutritionally valuable for chickens.
Just use common sense in what scraps you feed to chickens, it's easy really.

 

[EnderianQueen]

If it's too salty for you then it's too salty for chickens. Normal salt in human healthy diet is also tolerated by chickens (the salt you normally put on a steak, is not harmful for chickens, for example).
Salty junk food like potato chips and industrial cheese is also junk food for chickens.
Hard cheese like Parmesan crusts is, in my opinion, too salty for chickens. Cottage cheese is healthy and very nutritionally valuable for chickens.
Just use common sense in what scraps you feed to chickens, it's easy really.

Oinks reason I ask is because Charlie (6-7 weeks old) keeps snatching lightly salted snap pea crisps and goldfish crackers from my mouth and the bag/box

 

[Altairsky]

Don't let him do it. Those things are poison. Chickens don't steal things from people mouths unless you do it on purpose.

 

[EnderianQueen]

Don't let him do it. Those things are poison. Chickens don't steal things from people mouths unless you do it on purpose.

I don’t do it on purpose I literally open the bag and he goes straight for it even trying to enter the bag I have to push him away

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I don’t do it on purpose I literally open the bag and he goes straight for it even trying to enter the bag I have to push him away

You’re bigger than he is. I’m being serious here: you need to establish dominance in your relationship with this roo, no lovey-cooeys, or you will have a highly dangerous rooster on your hands here, and you’ll probably have to cull (kill) him to protect yourself and other family members in the future.

Roosters are gorgeous and fascinating, but THEY ARE NOT CUTE, AND THEY ARE NOT PETS. They are animals with their own personalities and needs, and you should treat them with respect as such.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Eat in the house so he doesn't have a chance to steal your food. Seriously, he could hurt you.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Don't eat food with the birds. More than j>st food snatching, there's dust and poop there