Too much veggies and fruits?

[NatJ]

Thank you for this great advice. Now. I used to breed exotic birds and bread was a big no no for birds in general. With chicken, I read such a mixed message. Some sources say it is ok to feed them bread like you do and some say no. If so. What kind of bread is good and which one isn't? I am European. I only have rye and dark bread in our house. None of that white bleached bread. Is that ok to give? I would assume that would be healthier than that white stuff? ( Sorry, no offense, but I am not a huge fan of those factory breads. )

A piece of bread here and there will not make any obvious difference to their health.

Bread as a sole diet, or a large percent of their diet, will probably cause dietary deficiencies of some sort. But what deficiencies might be different depending on the bread. I would assume whole-grain bread would be better than bread made with refined white flour, but I don't know specific details.

 

[Primicum Bavaricum]

i personally only give treats to my chooks on the weekends, and even then it’s a small amount before they are put in for the night so that i know they fill up on their proper feed during the day!

well, to be honest- they do get a couple of mealworms in the morning when i let them out, but that’s purely because if i don’t give them that, they will yell at me and stare at the cupboard in the coop (where i keep the mealies) until i give in and throw some on the ground.

Mine started to show me the middle longest feather and the "look" since I stopped giving them their daily veggies. LOL

 

[MissE]

Mine started to show me the middle longest feather and the "look" since I stopped giving them their daily veggies. LOL

They're like teenagers. They will find any reason in the world they can to be upset with you. As my mom liked to say, "Some people will complain if they are hung with a new rope."

 

[Primicum Bavaricum]

I have nothing to contribute to this thread, but I wholeheartedly agree with you on those bleached flour white breads. So tasteless and blah.

I hear you. To us as kids, white bread, we only got as treats because it was well known that it is unhealthy. The only time I eat it is when I make myself a nice grilled cheese sandwich or I go back memory lane to my childhood back home with my US military kids friends. when I was a child in the '70s. Then I make myself a ham and cheese sandwich with some potato chips on it and press it with the nice crackling sound and enjoy it or make myself a fluffer-nutter sanny. LOL Otherwise I stick to my rye or wheat breads.

 

[Drumstick63]

Throw the treats in the trash...I might have to change my title to this.


Hold up...let me read back real quick.

How can veggies and fruit be a bad thing ?

 

[saysfaa]

How can veggies and fruit be a bad thing ?

Both are very low in protein. Veggies are also low in energy; fruit is high in energy but it is primarily sugars. Chickens move constantly so they need a lot more energy for their size than most species. And they need enough protein and it needs to be the right types of protein in the right proportions.

They have relatively short, simple digestive systems. So they have limited capacity for feed... they don't have the margin for feed that doesn't give them enough energy or enough protein that many other species do.

 

[Kiki]

How can veggies and fruit be a bad thing ?

Did you read every post here in this thread?

 

[Artichoke Lover]

I don’t consider fruits and veggies to be a treat either. It’s the same things that they go straight for in the garden when allowed to free range. That said I feed a high protein percentage which balances it a bit. All said it does sound like you may be feeding to many fruits and veggies though because there is a point. How big of a bowl are you feeding?

 

[Chicken-Maniac]

I give mine scraps on a regular basis. It just doesn't amount to much of their diet. I also feed their egg shells back to them. They think that's pretty cool too. Right now they aren't getting any treats. We're in a cold snap, and the forecast is now saying we will be below 0 for daytime highs for over a week. I only want them eating their normal feed so they have enough good energy to stay warm. As I type this at 7:43 PM its -23f. They can't afford to eat what amounts to junk food.

We do the same except we give them a little cracked corn on the cold days. I've read that it takes them longer to digest the corn so they stay warmer

 

[saysfaa]

I'm sure feeding only commercial chicken feed is a good way to feed chickens. I just don't think it is the only good way. I give mine some greens, bugs, and a tiny bit of fruit for the phytochemicals and such.

Part of the issue is what kind of chickens you have and what kind of environment you have. If you have a breed that pushes the boundries of possible in rate of growth or in egg production or they are in extreme temperatures or have only the bare minimum of space or get new birds added often then maximizing nutrition is more important