Salt water block for chickens

[coach723]

Well, and there was that thread the other day showing a video of a horse eating a chick.

Wow! I totally missed that one!

 

[cmom]

If you want to give the birds something to peck at, why not put out a Flock Block for them.

 

[Peepsi]

I don't think @Cryss meant to imply that chickens don't need salt.

Ok, I meant "supplemental" salt. Of course chickens need salt and I know Cryss knows they need salt, and it's usually included in the right percentages in most name-brand all-in-one chicken feeds, so no extra salt needs to be given in *most* cases. However, sometimes people don't use bags of chicken feed from the store, they try to mix their own feed from various grains and stuff and they forget minerals or they put in too little salt, etc. Then supplemental crushed salt (not in a block, and not flavored salt) should be given. Those are the circumstances I was talking about.

 

[Red Star 2019]

Can I crush a salt water block a put small portions of it in the chicken waterer? They keep getting into the horse barn and are pecking at the block! I wonder if I gave them small quantities of it I could actually get them to stop trying to eat the block. I buy the Sturdy Steed candy apple block. Thank you.

 

[Red Star 2019]

From what I have read, salt is not good for the chickens as in a lot of it. What they are going for is the apple flavoring in the candy apple block. Put the block up higher for the horses, so they won't go after it. There is enough salt in the chicken feed to suffice the chickens,

 

[bluefreeze]

I get lots of apples from my cousin down the road, more than we can eat. We share all we can, and I regularly cut them in half and give them to my hens, they devour them. I also believe strongly that animals do know what they need and don't need, for the most part. So chickens shouldn't have onions, and I notice if I give them some leftovers, they will have eaten it and literally left the few onions that were in there. So trust the animal, but also use caution with other feed in the area. I also give them a great variety of "treats" to keep them foraging and happy as well as healthy...I wouldn't worry too much if they seem healthy but better safe than sorry.