New to Chickens--what "supplements" to feed?

[horsepowerhaven]

Thanks for all the great advice. What sort of scraps are safe for chickens? What about mashed potatoes? Are all veggies good?

The "treats" page is excellent. Thank you so much!

 

[chickenmeadow]

horsepowerhaven: The following should answer alot of questions on "Chicken Treats," it was helpful to me. Have fun with your happy chickens! https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats

 

[swimchick]

If they are laying they need the calcium for shell production. I toss it on the ground where they hunt and peck. I used to offer it in a separate dish and they made such a mess of things and ended up eating it off the ground anyway. - One of the moderators had a good suggestion to add a calcium tablet to heated oatmeal - Mine LOVE oatmeal in the mornings so I am going to do that too.

Marissa

 

[gsim]

Quote:
Potato skins and potato greens are really bad. I think the potato itself may be ok. On the other hand, sweet potatoes are good for them and mine like them. I feed mine all kinds of veggie waste and fruit waste too. I even give them broccolli stems cut up. They have had a wide variety of greens from 3 days old and on. Carrot tops, beet tops, radish tops, cabbage, lettuce, cucumber peels, spotted tomatoes, pepper seeds and pulp as well as peppers that are going soft. Fruit peels too including banana peel and all. Any veggies that are starting to wilt a little too, and fruit that is beginning to soften or pucker. Nothing rotten ever. Meat leftovers too. You can get to where you feed them so much of supplements that egg production can fall off unless they are getting meat or eggs in it. They do need more extra carbs to stay warm in wintertime. I do not give scratch grain in warm weather but daily in cold weather.

Mine also get grass clippings all summer, and certain broadleaf weeds that they like too, as well as strawberry leaves in late fall after berries are gone. I am a big believer in a wide variety of greens.