Providing vegetation and bugs for a blind rooster

[1chip2chicks3cheeks]

Hello everyone! I've been lurking around BYC for a bit now but just decided to join to ask my own question!

We rescued a fighting rooster (Joe!) who was blind in one eye. He was the very beginning of our chicken adventure! We never planned on having chickens, but took him in because it was the right thing to do and he deserved a good home. We now have a flock of 28 chickens, most of them are still chicks. Our hens love going broody!

Shortly after we brought home Joe, another rooster came over to our yard and attacked him, leaving him pretty much blind in his other eye. We think he might be able to see light based on how he acts, even though the vet said he has little to no vision left and doesn't respond to light (he also said his vision could come back). He does pretty well eating and drinking, he's able to find his food/water in his pen for the most part. We still help him eat and drink any time we're out there with the chickens though. Obviously, he only really eats feed since he can't see to catch bugs and find plants. All of our chickens free range and have access to vegetation and bugs all day, so it's very saddening to me that he doesn't get as much variety as the other chickens do, not to mention the fun! I would really like to start adding greens to his food, along with other veggies/fruit and bugs. He gets super excited when we add new things to his food, like seeds, so I know he would really appreciate it! The rest of the flock would also get these treats as well

My question is, which greens, veggies, fruit and bugs are the best for chickens nutrition wise? Since he would only be getting what I provide for him, I want to make sure it's as nutritious as possible. How much would a free ranging chicken usually eat of those things per day? I want him to still get that type of "free range diet" and nutrition, even though he can't provide it for himself. Just because he's blind doesn't mean he should miss out is the way I look at it! Also, what can I do to encourage dust bathing with him? He dust bathes sometimes, but nowhere near as often as the other chickens. I feel like he doesn't dust bathe much due to him not being able to see what's around him. Any suggestions?

 

[GRB73]

I give my hens lots of greens like arugula, kale and spinach. I hang them in a suet cage and they peck away at it. Sometimes I'll split open a squash or old cucumber. In the summer I offer slices of cold or frozen watermelon. Of course, these are all treats and should be offered in small amounts. The bulk of your room's diet should be his feed. Offer him All Flock feed as opposed to layer feed. Roosters don't need the extra calcium found in layer feed, it can actually be harmful to them.
You have a really big heart and he is one fortunate rooster to have found such a good home. Be sure to protect him from predators because he can't be as vigilent as he needs to be with his blind eyes. Hopefully, some of his vision will come back.

 

[1chip2chicks3cheeks]

I give my hens lots of greens like arugula, kale and spinach. I hang them in a suet cage and they peck away at it. Sometimes I'll split open a squash or old cucumber. In the summer I offer slices of cold or frozen watermelon. Of course, these are all treats and should be offered in small amounts. The bulk of your room's diet should be his feed. Offer him All Flock feed as opposed to layer feed. Roosters don't need the extra calcium found in layer feed, it can actually be harmful to them.
You have a really big heart and he is one fortunate rooster to have found such a good home. Be sure to protect him from predators because he can't be as vigilent as he needs to be with his blind eyes. Hopefully, some of his vision will come back.

Thank you! He is a very sweet boy. We actually just switched to all flock feed. I’ve been doing lots of reading on chicken feed and just learned recently that they shouldn’t be eating layer feed. I’m thinking of making my own feed sometime in the near future for the flock, but know I need to take extra steps to make sure his diet specifically is balanced since he can’t forage on his own. One of the reasons I want to provide fresh foods for him. Thank you for your advice! I’m currently growing arugula, kale, lettuce, basil and chard but they’re still seedlings. When they’re ready for harvest I’m going to share with the chickens! I’ve heard of a suet cage but have never seen one before, I might try your method!

 

[centrarchid]

When I baby a rooster, my preference is to use greens with a lot of color. If coming from the store, then the spring green mix does well. Top it with a little olive oil. Meal worms are good, preferably live meal worms. If you can get frozen fish like smelt, then you will be getting some quality animal protein into him.

Quantities are hard to determine when it comes to greens. My free-range birds have a diet that dominated by greens which is mostly the actively growing parts of legumes and other forbs and grasses. Insects, spiders and other invertebrates come in second. You may also find he will consume fruits, especially those rotten beyond what stores like to sell. My roosters are all over persimmons and plums when offered. They will eat lots of grapes too, but they are mostly sugar. Consider sprouting greens in mass without soil and feeding those to him.


Could you post a picture of him?

 

[1chip2chicks3cheeks]

When I baby a rooster, my preference is to use greens with a lot of color. If coming from the store, then the spring green mix does well. Top it with a little olive oil. Meal worms are good, preferably live meal worms. If you can get frozen fish like smelt, then you will be getting some quality animal protein into him.

Quantities are hard to determine when it comes to greens. My free-range birds have a diet that dominated by greens which is mostly the actively growing parts of legumes and other forbs and grasses. Insects, spiders and other invertebrates come in second. You may also find he will consume fruits, especially those rotten beyond what stores like to sell. My roosters are all over persimmons and plums when offered. They will eat lots of grapes too, but they are mostly sugar. Consider sprouting greens in mass without soil and feeding those to him.


Could you post a picture of him?

We bought quite a few types of greens for them today! I do plan on sprouting seeds for them too and fermenting their feed.

Here is Joe!

 

[centrarchid]

I would give some BOSS as well. Black Oil Sunflower Seeds representing about 5% of his diet by weight to help put shine back into his feathers. Make certain he has a good place to dust bath.

 

[centrarchid]

How are you arranging feeding locations to aid him with finding food?

 

[1chip2chicks3cheeks]

I would give some BOSS as well. Black Oil Sunflower Seeds representing about 5% of his diet by weight to help put shine back into his feathers. Make certain he has a good place to dust bath.

He has his food and water next to each other in his pen, which he has become familiar with. He has a trough style feeder to make it easier for him to eat. He’s able to eat food off the ground when he feels it under his feet which is a huge improvement since before. He mostly stays in his pen during the day so he can eat and stay safe but I let him roam and have some fun when I’m out there. He still likes to scratch in the dirt, lay in the sun and walk around. Sometimes he tries to mate with girls! There’s lots of soft kicked up dirt from the other chickens taking dust baths that he can dust bathe in but I wonder if it’s not enough. His feathers are quite shiny, it just wasn’t captured in that picture. That’s also an older picture, so maybe they weren’t shiny then. I’ll take a newer photo of him!

 

[Angileen]

My chickens love watermelon especially in summer, I also feed my chickens the older larger cucumbers from my garden, corn, pumpkins, cabbage, carrots I buy the large bagged carrots and throw them whole in their pen they love pecking at them, and any scraps from cooking that are safe for my chickens, if I have an over abundance of eggs I scramble and cook them and then feed them back to my chickens I also pick dandelion greens and flowers, they have many health benefits and the flower will help make the yolks darker. Only 10% of their diet should be treats or your chickens my not get all the nutrition they need. I always check on line when feeding something new to make sure it is not toxic to my chickens.

 

[1chip2chicks3cheeks]

My chickens love watermelon especially in summer, I also feed my chickens the older larger cucumbers from my garden, corn, pumpkins, cabbage, carrots I buy the large bagged carrots and throw them whole in their pen they love pecking at them, and any scraps from cooking that are safe for my chickens, if I have an over abundance of eggs I scramble and cook them and then feed them back to my chickens I also pick dandelion greens and flowers, they have many health benefits and the flower will help make the yolks darker. Only 10% of their diet should be treats or your chickens my not get all the nutrition they need. I always check on line when feeding something new to make sure it is not toxic to my chickens.

Feeding dandelions is a great idea! I haven’t really seen any growing wild here though. We’ve given them watermelon and pumpkin before but they didn’t seem too interested in it. Also gave them romaine lettuce today and they hardly ate it! Very picky chickens.