Table Scraps

[4pearsonchicks]

My 3 hens have been laying eggs for about 1 month now. I hear all of these stories about how people give so much table food to their chickens. As of now I give them the left over berries - that my children won't eat, and fruit rhine - watermelon and cantaloupe. What els is healthy for them. We also keep organic in our household, so any kind of meat is out of the question.Thanks

 

[skeetersmom]

Chickens will eat just about anything. Of course don't give them chocolate. They usually know what is good and not good for them. My entire flock's favorite treat is cheese! There is an article on this website with what foods they can and can't have.

 

[donrae]

I feed our birds most of our table scraps. We don't throw away a ton of food, but what we do toss makes me feel better knowing it's being turned into eggs

. Through trial and error over the years I've found things my birds don't care for..onion, orange, potato, banana and avocado peels. Other folks say their birds eat banana peels. Sometimes those things get in the chicken bowl anyway. They get tossed in the run and eventually compost.

If you find the infamous treat chart here, take it with a grain of salt. Chicken are cheerful omnivores and can eat pretty much anything edible.

I'm not seeing the connection between your family eating organic and meat being out of the question? Organic and meat aren't mutually exclusive.

 

[9chickenz]

How how do I make a post please tell me thank you

 

[barneveldrerman]

Welcome to byc and chickens will eat just about anything here is a link to food that is good for them,https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-treat-chart-the-best-treats-for-backyard-chickens/

Here is a link of foods that are bad for them.http://www.fresheggsdaily.com/2013/02/toxic-treats-what-not-to-feed-your.html


Hope this helped!

 

[ygritte]

I have my compost bin in my chicken run, so anything I would compost the chickens have access to (regardless of degree of decomposition). Mine seem to eat everything. All fruits (including bananas and apples) get devoured immediately, then fleshy veggies (squash etc) then the greens last... but I've yet to see anything really be left to compost that's remotely edible even the coffee grounds seem to get eaten.

I know there is a treat chart, but there seems to be a gazillion things that will definitely kill my birds. I gave up on even referring to it when I saw bind weed on there. Half the reason I got chickens was for insect and weed control...can't say 5 chickens makes a difference but they sure try!

My birds are going on 7 months old, all have been laying sense 5 months old and I get 3-5 eggs a day so far. They all seem perfectly healthy, no behavioral issues. I think as long as they have enough options to choose from and enough space, fresh air, and water you can do no wrong.

 

[chickmomma03]

There is a safe treat list floating around somewhere. I give mine table scraps, but I make sure I don't give them too much. So far they have had various meats (cut, and cooked thoroughly, chicken, steak, pork, they have had a little hamburger meat), various veggies both cooked and raw (spinach, broccoli, a tomato every now and then, peas, corn on the cob or off, green beans, etc), fruits (watermelon, strawberry, cantaloupe, apples, etc), cooked rice (not something that is the norm, I had some left over and it wasn't enough for another meal, but I didn't want to waste) and cooked noodles, some breads (but I try not to go heavy on them), and that's all I can think of right now. Mine love love love fresh fruits and veggies more than anything, there have been some meats they have turned their nose up at, but they seem to really love chicken. I don't give them anything with bone still attached. I limit their portions. Oh, and they also enjoy clover, grass, and anything else they can get their beaks on outside. I've bought night crawlers several times since there seems to be a shortage of worms available for picking (they're around here somewhere, just not where I can find them lol). Yesterday they were happy to get their beaks on a praying mantis.

Oh, also, I don't give them super fatty meats, dairy, or things that are acidic. I want them happy and healthy. So far, it seems to be working. I have a container I toss some of the leftovers in that's specifically for the chickens, and I put it in the fridge and just add things here and there before bringing it out to them. I wash after every use too.