⠀ Keeping chickens happy

[ZainabH]

I have a small flock - just a rooster and 3 hens only - and sometimes babies. I feed them a good quality mixed seed and they are completely free all day (within a very large walled area) where they have fresh green pick - plants, flowers, and grass and fresh water. They also have sandy dirt for "bathing" and a nice little house for laying eggs. They also get some of the table scraps - vegie peelings, left over rice etc which they seem to like but I never give meat. Should I? I know they like to eat the caterpillars. moths, and bugs etc they find in the garden. What else do they need? They look healthy and seem happy - shiny and beautiful feathers, bright eyes, and healthy feet.

 

[DrMikelleRoeder]

It sounds like your flock is thriving – great job! For your layers, I’d recommend feeding a complete feed and make sure that at least 90% of your birds’ nutrition comes from this complete feed and no more than 10% comes from treats and scraps. Doing this will make sure that your birds are not over-consuming or under-consuming specific nutrients. Amino acids, calcium and phosphorus are especially important to adult laying hens. When you have the babies, be sure that they are receiving a balanced and complete starter and grower diet for the first 18 weeks of age, which will help give them the extra energy they need for growth and development.

The treats and scraps you mention are all safe for your birds and I bet they enjoy the special attention. As far as the meat is concerned, it is not necessary to feed your birds meat scraps, but you can if you’d like, but do so sparingly. Be sure that the scraps are fresh, as meat can go bad quickly.