Omnivores! Remember that!

[TooCheep]

Definitely! I got so annoyed when I saw "vegetarian fed hens" on an egg carton.

If they make that claim, then they are telling you that the chickens are not living a natural/free range existence. Any chicken that is allowed some freedom will grab any small wild critters that they can reach.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I feed mine raw chum salmon, raw bone marrow and raw eggs. If I’m at the store and see a hunk of beef on sale I will sometimes buy it to toss to the chickens. I think if you are going to give them “treats” the best thing to give them is some fresh raw fish or raw meat.

 

[Squawkers]

If they make that claim, then they are telling you that the chickens are not living a natural/free range existence. Any chicken that is allowed some freedom will grab any small wild critters that they can reach.

Exactly, and its just dumb, chickens are not vegetarians.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Thank goodness chicken beaks aren't very sharp lol

That's funny. I've seen a hen cut a frog into bite-sized pieces with her beak. That's why I try to not let their beaks get that close to my eyes.

The flock was moving to the orchard to forage and a hen held back. I saw her go off to the side in taller grass and nab a frog. She carefully did not offer to share food (no sounds) but cut it up for herself. They are supposed to be flock animals but not that sneaky girl!

 

[CCsGarden]

The weirdest question I get when I tell someone that I have chickens is "do you get eggs?"

Everyone ask me that too!!

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Everyone ask me that too!!

IKR!! It makes me mad deep down for some odd reason!!

RANT WARNING
Also a lot of people think
1. That roosters lay eggs
2. That females are called chickens (well, they ARE chickens, but the gender-specific name is HEN.) Like a lot people will say for instance, "how's your chickens and rooster?"
3. And that chickens eat their own poop Which I have not seen mine do once. Maybe if they are absolutely starving then they would but even then, considering that they are pretty clean animals, I doubt that they would.
There are so many not that bad and harmful myths/stereotypes out there about chickens

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Definitely! I got so annoyed when I saw "vegetarian fed hens" on an egg carton.

Like they were feeding chickens vegetarian people

 

[FrostRanger]

That's funny. I've seen a hen cut a frog into bite-sized pieces with her beak. That's why I try to not let their beaks get that close to my eyes.

The flock was moving to the orchard to forage and a hen held back. I saw her go off to the side in taller grass and nab a frog. She carefully did not offer to share food (no sounds) but cut it up for herself. They are supposed to be flock animals but not that sneaky girl!

True, they certainly can tear into food, I suppose I was more comparing her bite to if a dog or a cat accidentally bit me while taking food. Between those would say a cat bite is more painful (at least of my animals anyways). Yes, a 70lb pit bull can do more damage than a 2lb kitten if he really wanted to but those little teeth are like needles, Ranger if he accidentally gets my finger with the treat, it hurts a bit, but no damage done 'cause of course he's not trying to hurt me (not to mention he has been trained not to be too rough when taking treats) and his teeth although large are fairly dull. Phoenix when I was starting to hand feed, being young had less bite inhibition and extremely pointy needle like teeth that very young animals tend to have, so even though he certainly wasn't trying to hurt me, he drew a bit of blood anyways due to just how sharp those teeth are (Phoenix now has better bite inhibition thankfully)

 

[CCsGarden]

That females are called chickens (well, they ARE chickens, but the gender-specific name is HEN.) Like a lot people will say for instance, "how's your chickens and rooster?"

I get that one too! And when I tell them they all are chickens, they can't believe it!

 

[Apis mellifera]

I remember when commercial chicken feeds had porcine derived meat in the ingredients and bone meal. It was great feed. Now they are vegetarian and marketed as "Healthy and complete!". Just feed flock raiser and oyster shell on the side! A lot of new chicken keepers believe it and assume chickens don't need meat proteins. It shows in late summer/early fall when people start posting photos of extreme molting. The reality is its cheaper to make plant protein based feeds with methionine and they can charge more. Meats in moderation are essential for healthy poultry diets.