Molasses and Chickens

[cajunmudbugs]

Someone told me that if a hen eats molasses in feed, like sweet feed, they will quit laying. Is that true at all? He said the same thing about fruit, if you feed it to them they will quit laying. I have never heard such a thing.

 

[mlward]

I'm not sure about the molasses, although I see it's an ingredient on the supplement I add to their water. As for fruit, I give it all the time and haven't noticed a decrease in egg production.

 

[jvls1942]

interesting theory.. another bit of unsubstantiated advice to add to the abundant list of useless and incorrect material we are bombarded with each day..

 

[Razadia]

It doesn't effect laying. I gave the hens some watermelon the other day and they haven't stopped laying. If dad forgets to get feed and we run out he'll give them a bit of sweet stuff (it has molasses in it) and they don't stop.

It's just one of those old tales that has no truth behind it.

 

[raph]

if chicken have feed with molasses on it it it bad for them?

 

[raph]

is it i mean

 

[Vicky2479]

The feed I give my hens has molasses added and they are laying just fine, I also give them fruit regularly and that doesn't seem to cause a problems.

 

[JNB]

Many things like Flock Block actually use molasses in them. I was told by several people to drizzle a little Molasses over my hens feed when she was re cooping from a bad injury and shock. Molasses is a natural blood builder and is full of iron and lots of healing properties.. kinda like putting honey on a scrape. W e use it often with our beef cattle if they have been ill or injured added a little to the food each day for a few days gives a wonderful boost to recovery. I could see how overusing it like maybe feeding bottles of pure molasses might be of concern.. but as a supplement its wonderful.

As far as fruit.... we always feed fruit and vegetables to our flock almost daily. Not to long ago i adopted a flock of 17 birds.. they are older birds and had not been laying for some time. I found out that they had been eating just grass clippings and bird seed the kind you feed wild birds...
They wouldn't touch the layer mix I put out... after 3 days I started was worried so I started with just fruits and vegetables..... added with fresh grass... It took about 2 weeks but the started laying and have been consistent since.. They do now eat layer mix just fine.. I just had to introduce it mixed with fruits..

 

[raph]

ok that is useful thanks, i once had a bufforpington hen who was very sweat and a dog picked her up in her mouth and then when my dad came around the corner the dog dropped the hen.
The hen sat in her nest box for two days and then died of shock, but for future i will try molasses.

 

[Imp]

Be careful with the molasses, it can cause diarrhea in chickens. It is used to flush toxins out of chickens, like botulism.




Quote: