Not good to feed

[Angela G]

I would like to start giving my girls table scraps. Is there anything I should avoid?

 

[Stiggy]

citrus, though they will usually avoid things if they don't like them. moth things they can eat, I would avoid feeding them anything with bones in it though ( like little bones in fish etc)

 

[azygous]

My chickens will eat anything except okra. Seriously. By the way, they adore oranges as long as they're sliced in half. Nope, won't hurt em. They avoid the peels, and that's where they'd get into trouble.

Some plants such as larkspur are bad for them, but my chickens naturally ignore them, even though they're growing out where they range. They also seem to know which bugs are nasty and they avoid those.

You want to avoid feeding them anything with sugar in it since it will promote yeasty crops, and avoid feeding too much bready stuff at a time. Once I had a hen gorge on left over turkey dressing and she got impacted crop. Salty and fatty food are not good for them, either.

But we're talking large amounts. A tiny piece of whatever you have in your hand that you're munching on when they notice you have food, won't make much difference.

 

[Stiggy]

Mine love their table scraps, especially when I slip them extras..... bananas, grapes, tomatoes, lettuce and pears are faves, mine also love it if you give them a half/whole cabbage which they can eat over a few days. meat and bacon scraps always go down a treat as well, and are especially good if you are trying to feed them up, or if they are anemic/ feather plucking. That's interesting that yours love the inners of oranges, mine wont touch them ( tho they are pretty fussy) . I often feed a hot mash in the winter months or when its cold wet and miserable, with it I put bread scraps ( like the ends no one will eat) or any stale but not moldy bread with their pellets, mash and chicken scratch and sometimes bird seed if its really bad outside. they love the hot mash and don't seem to have a problem with the bread in it, although its all a giant mush when they get it. I actually have one hen who is determined to sit in it everytime.... so everyone has to eat around her haha

 

[Sandstorm495]

I would like to start giving my girls table scraps. Is there anything I should avoid?

They can pretty much eat everything-as well as garlic. Its common to see garlic stated as toxic for chickens, but it can actually kill bad bacteria.
They'll love a bone to peck at as well (avoid giving them small bones though. And bread, though I would be more careful about that. I would avoid giving them large amounts at a time, as too much can result in sour crop.

 

[Angela G]

Thank you so much for the advice!

 

[dawnEF]

Ive been told that cutting a garlic clove in halve and putting it in the water is good for getting rid of mites, is thst true?

 

[Stiggy]

no, garlic water doesn't get rid of lice/mites. however it is sad to help a bird get rid of internal worms, thus is used in natural wormers with apple cider vinigar

 

[dawnEF]

Thanks Stiggy
My friend is wrong on that one then and after being on here for a week he seems to ne wrong on a few things aswell :/

 

[Stiggy]

Oh well, as they say" not all advice is good advice" then again some things will work for some but not for others. Others are like those old wives tales that work or don't. I guess he was just trying to help, and in most cases no harm trying some things