Table Scraps (How much is too much?)

[pawsplus]

I differentiate between whole, real food (fruit, veggies, grains, raw meat) and processed crap. I actually don't eat much, if any, processed crap myself, LOL, so there's not much around, but where I would go easy is bread, pasta, anything cooked and spiced and messed with, etc.). Real, whole food is only going to be good for them. I guess in my case it makes up 10-20% of the average day's food (if you include the weeds I pick, etc.).

 

[BeckyandHerBrood]

Thanks PawsPlus, that is sort of what I have been doing too. They get the few bread crusts (which are whole grain/multi grain) but I have been moderating those. I give them the rest of our leftovers which are pretty much all cuts of the fruits and veggies that I feed my kiddos. As well as whatever is leftover at dinner, (which is never the pasta or potatoes, hubby eats those). They usually end up with a little ranch dressing on their salad though

 

[Malita]

I'm new to this but have had a small flock (2 roosters & 3 hens) since early May. They are about 15 weeks old now. We let them roam the yard from sun up to sun down and feed bread, fruit & veggie scraps as much as they want. They still eat plenty of feed but are making a huge dent in the bugs in my garden. I have found that as much as they like most anything in the fruit/veggie group, they are absolutely nuts about figs. We don't eat but 10% of the figs our tree produces so we just leave it for the local wildlife.

 

[pawsplus]

Quote:
Potatoes are just great as long as there is nothing on them. It's a great food. Pasta is processed; potatoes are not.

 

[BeckyandHerBrood]

LOL, I would feed the chickens the potatoes, but I doubt that they will ever get them around here. We love our potatoes. As for pasta, I think have my husband deprived enough that he eats it like ice cream (hurry fast before someone else gets it).

 

[Deweydoodledo]

My girls love their snacks, yogurts, fruits, veggies (except potato peelings, read somewhere green peels are poisonous them) a little cheese if its leftover. Cooked eggs and some wholewheat bread crumbs. No raw eggs, since they might get a taste for them (read that somewhere) all in moderation, but love to spoil my girls.

 

[jeremy]

I have this book-

Basically anything that is green we feed to the chickens. Besides the known poisonous things.

"Scrap" supplements can help you dramatically if you're concerned about feed costs.

Also, humans are SO wasteful, instead of throwing food out that will end up rotting in a landfill I'd rather recycle it and then use the compost created by it to grow more.

My two cents.

 

[BeckyandHerBrood]

@Jeremy, I am going to try and find that book. I don't mind paying to feed them, but I sure don't want to throw away food that they can eat.

By the way, and off the subject a little, I am loving this BYC thing. Nice to have advice from others who know what they are doing. Sort of winging it (pun intended) around here.

 

[cowdogcadillac]

Quote:
They are healthy,they graze the lawn,eat flowers,they eat bugs and scratch under my plants all day returning to the coop periodically to eat layer and grit. The fact that they spend time in the compost pile eating what is in there is no sign of bad health. I am not a commercial restaurant throwing away 400lbs of table scraps a day. I toss things in as we use them and the bugs/worms that feed on the scraps I'm sure are a big part of the hens diet. I don't believe in 10% of the diet being treats. You call it treats I call it food. Coop up your birds and monitor everything they eat making a spread sheet counting out exactly 10% treat and I will free range my Healthy birds who lay eggs like crazy,are in excellent shape,and are happy.There comes a day at our house when eventually the production slows on a bird and we eat them. Gasp! But until that day they live a pretty stress free life and I don't spend time running birds to vets or having health issues. That's how they have been raised for hundreds of years and they are still around. Gotta go throw some shrimp shells on the compost pile now.Good luck on that 10% thing.

 

[BeckyandHerBrood]

Quote:
They are healthy,they graze the lawn,eat flowers,they eat bugs and scratch under my plants all day returning to the coop periodically to eat layer and grit. The fact that they spend time in the compost pile eating what is in there is no sign of bad health. I am not a commercial restaurant throwing away 400lbs of table scraps a day. I toss things in as we use them and the bugs/worms that feed on the scraps I'm sure are a big part of the hens diet. I don't believe in 10% of the diet being treats. You call it treats I call it food. Coop up your birds and monitor everything they eat making a spread sheet counting out exactly 10% treat and I will free range my Healthy birds who lay eggs like crazy,are in excellent shape,and are happy.There comes a day at our house when eventually the production slows on a bird and we eat them. Gasp! But until that day they live a pretty stress free life and I don't spend time running birds to vets or having health issues. That's how they have been raised for hundreds of years and they are still around. Gotta go throw some shrimp shells on the compost pile now.Good luck on that 10% thing.

This is exactly the approach I have chosen to take. Thank you for your feedback...If they look healthy and are laying I am going to assume they are fine. I know they are happy when I show up with the pie pan...and so far they are all doing awesome on this plan.