Rice for my chooks

[cluckcluckluke]

im thinking of cooking up a bit of rice for my chickens and giving it to them with there laying pellets in the mornings. Or should i just give it to them non cooked and if rice isnt good any suggestions for a diffeerent treat

 

[BeccaSmith]

I think there is a lot of controversy on whether or not you should cook the rice before giving it to your chickens. I err on the safe side and cook it. What about giving scratch as a treat? Also every chickens favorite treat are live meal worms...there is a great thread on here on how to raise your own for your chickens....it is super easy and low maintenance....that is what I would recommend for a treat! My girls go crazy for them! Also they like kefir and or greek yogurt!

 

[cluckcluckluke]

oh great thanks heaps, wheres the thread?

 

[Vicky2479]

I don't know about rice I would cook it first I think another treat I give my girls is porridge or Muesli soaked over nite with yogurt add before I give it to them, they got nuts for it, I will even warm it in winter

 

[jet tail]

Ok i agree mine love a worm treat once a week. we use bran - also pasta they love that!!! plain without sauce but cooked. They fight over it.

 

[jak2002003]

You can feed the rice cooked or uncooked. My ducks, chickens and pigeons enjoy it uncooked the best. Its a myth that it swells up inside them and kills them.

I have been feeding uncooked rice for years and never had a problem. I just mix it in with the chicken feed or throw it on the ground as a treat like scratch.

 

[Pullet Surprise]

My chickens are crazy for cooked rice. Uncooked rice...well...they think it's eh...ok but not that excied about it. Mine get any left over from our dinners, I don't cook it for them. (O.K. I confess that sometimes I make a bit more than I know we'll eat so they will have 'left-overs') Keep in mind that rice is a carbohydrate.

 

[BeccaSmith]

oh great thanks heaps, wheres the thread?

Here it is, it is a long thread, but you can skim through it and find out what you need to know in the first several pages!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/492636/mealworm-farming

 

[Stephanie739]

I cook rice and mix in some eggs while it is cooling. All my chicks love it. I think they might love it too much because I am now dealing with some enlarged crops on the young ones...

 

[cluckcluckluke]

thanks, i do the same with my chickens they love porridge