Picky Chicks and Kitchen Scraps

[RainForestBird]

My chickens have been raised on chick starter, flock raiser and gamebird and poultry feed. They also forage in my yard which has lots of grasses and seeds that I sow for fodder. However, when it comes to eggshells, fresh fruits and veggies and frozen peas and corn, they turn up their beaks. I've been just throwing the eggshells out the back kitchen door as I use them, I crumble them up first, but I notice nobody touches them and they are littered all over the place. I ran out of feed and couldn't get to the feedstore so I put out a bowl of peas, corn, chopped apples and greens, but they left them there all day long. I then cooked brown rice and Bob's ten grain cereal and they liked it, but not the other stuff from my kitchen. The ducks didn't like the scraps either. Is it because they aren't used to it? They will eat a few meal worms, but not many. They love grasshoppers and my yard is completely free of them after being infested. Also, can you give chickens Turmeric? I noticed that some feeds have Mexican Marigold seed to make the yolks more orange. Wouldn't Turmeric do the same thing and also fight inflammation? I use turmeric a lot in my cooking because have arthritis and I heard it also fights Alzheimer's.

 

[mesafox101]

i dont know about turmeric but you can try mixing food they like with the food they didnt like but some chickens are just really picky idk chickens are weird

 

[Fairview01]

If they don't eat scraps from the house either they aren't hungry enough or there is a more attractive alternative, such as free ranging. And to be honest, chickens don't like peas, apples aren't usually part, although mine seem to have acquired a taste for native persimmons, of their natural diet and having a choice between frozen greens and fresh grass, fresh grass wins.

Think old leftovers from the table when it comes to scraps. Stuff that's still edible but has been in the frig to long for our liking. Mine love the old dried crunchy box mac and cheese, week old pizza, meatloaf, pigs in the blanket, old pot roasts, etc etc. I took the turkey carcass from thanksgiving and hung it up with some string. It was cleaner than what fire ants could do. Now that they know what all this is they are like a school of hungry piranhas when they get some.

 

[rosemarythyme]

You'll find that your flock will have their preferences and it might take a while to figure it out. I would just try one or two things at a time. Honestly if they don't really want scraps, they don't really need them, but I know folks enjoy giving them treats.

Mine love fresh peas and corn, but don't want bread or lettuce, which a lot of other flocks like. For the most part I avoid giving the chickens processed people food but we rarely have any of that in the house as it is.

 

[junebuggena]

It's very normal for young chickens to distrust new food items. Without adults to show them what's good, it is their natural inclination to avoid new things. Try sprinkling some feed on the treat offerings.