Table Scraps For Chickens?

[brooster]

I have been feeding my chickens lots of table scraps to cut down on feed costs. Will they quit eating chicken feed, and expect scraps all the time?

 

[bunch-a-chickens]

well if you ate this same feed everyday, and you weren't really sure what it was made of, and then somebody gave you fruits and vegees, what would you pick??

 

[Wildsky]

Well, Mine have come to expect their cup of scratch morning and night - not sure what I'm gonna do when summer comes around....

They hear me open the door from the garage and they're ALL standing at attention waiting impatiently for me to get to them!
(Horse does the same thing, only she'll see me putting my jacket on through the kitchen window and then she starts running around if I don't bring that blue bucket fast enough)

 

[muddler6]

I have done the same, on advice from folks here, only give them "treats" once a day and keep the feeder stocked. I take the goodies in the morning, and generally throw some corn and grains to them at night, and they seem to still go after the food in between. Of course the wife looks at me like I'm nuts when I say I'm making them oatmeal or scrambled eggs, mac and cheese, etc. All of which the chickens love by the way. I say if they are giving me eggs everyday, why not spoil them just a little!

 

[MandyH]

I keep a big gallon sized ice cream bucket on my counter and ALL my scraps (edible of course) go in it. Then every morning when we feed we split the bucket of scraps up between all the coops. This buys us time to get them fed without being stampeded to death while they are having a treat and it does help out with food costs. But as soon as the scraps are gone they start in on the feed. My chickens do not care what you give them they always act like they have never eaten in their lives. We spend about $90 a week on chicken feed so any help we can get supplementing food it helps out. We also go to the bread store and get a $7 buggy of bread products every week or so and they LOVE that too. It is as much bread, rolls, tortillas etc... the bread store can pile in and on a grocery cart for $7. This stuff is good too, most still in date and everything. This is just my experience.

 

[Redfeathers]

I was wondering that very thing myself Brooster but then I realized that I am almost out of feed and need to go to the feed store, so they must be eating it along with the goodies...

 

[Redfeathers]

Gave mine a Kiwi today that was cut in half, they keep flipping it over so they can't get to the fruit....I just squished it out for them and all heck broke loose...guess kiwi is a hit.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Aren't they funny? I bet they were fascinated watching you squish that kiwi out. Mine watch everything I do, with great interest. A tip I got earlier in the year, here, is to quarter any round fruits and vegetables for the chickens. I don't remember who it was, but they were having trouble with halves getting flipped upside down, too. I think it was either Melon or pumpkin season.

 

[Scrambled Egg]

Brooster, can't you just mix alittle feed in with their scraps so they keep associating it with the treats?

 

[Buckguy20]

I have always fed mine scraps but one very important thing is to not give them scraps that they won't readily consume and may lie in the pen and rot. This is how chickens can get botulism which is very deadly. Potato peelings and broccoli stalks are a few things that come to mind that aren't always gobbled up.
I don't feed potato peelings unless they are chopped up in very small pieces.
Monty