Topic of the Week - Feeding table scraps to your flock

[Fabidon]

I will have to check the brand of my oyster shell tomorrow. My girls seem to ignore it so it obviously is not something they seek out.
Funny you mentioned canned Mackerel; I give it to my raw fed dogs twice a week so I always have it on hand. How much do you give your girls and do you use the entire fish pieces? Some of them are pretty meaty.
The wet mash sounds like something worth trying too. When you say mash, are you talking about the regular crumble feed?
Sorry to ask so many questions, just want to make sure I get it right.
Thank you for all your suggestions, it really helps.

 

[KaytaComyn]

Down here in warm, sunny Australia, I have 9 hens of various breeds and 3 roosters (2 still young, just starting to crow). They have 24 hr access to feed crumbles (gravity feeder) and separate shell grit. And open access to the whole front yard (my vegie garden is fenced off in the middle) including what I call their feed area.

This is basically an area about 1 metre by 1 metre, surrounded by large rocks. Into this feed area we literally scrape our plates after eating, including meat/chicken etc. It also gets all the food prep scraps (except for raw potato peel), their own shells (crushed), stale bread, furry fridge leftovers, ant infested cat food, flies from the natural fly trap, the neighbour's lawn clippings and my garden clippings/trimmings and bugs.They scratch around in there and eat what they want and leave what they don't. Every couple of weeks or so I rake anything left in the area into my compost tumbler next to it.
We're never had any issues with vermin because we also have 4 cats, who happily co-exist with the chooks.

I think sometimes people forget that chooks are omnivores and will eat almost anything, given the chance.

 

[Fabidon]

I have done some research and it appears that Pacific Pearl oyster shell is not available in my area. I do feed Purina's Layena which is supposedly fortified with oyster shell calcium but it has not helped my girls. It is why I keep thinking there is something I am feeding or in our environment (North Florida) that is counteracting the dietary calcium.
I gave them wet crumbles this AM and they seemed to enjoy it because I never saw them crowd around the feed bin for the dry as they did for the wet. Gave scraps (mostly cantaloupe rinds and seeds) this afternoon. Will continue with this plan and see if it helps them build stronger eggs.
Thank you for your suggestions and information.

 

[NFlaFlocks]

While I'm incubating already and not collecting eggs for incubating for a few weeks I collect their eggs boil them , then feed them crushed back to my "A" (adult ) flock for helping in production

 

[21hens-incharge]

I will have to check the brand of my oyster shell tomorrow. My girls seem to ignore it so it obviously is not something they seek out.
Funny you mentioned canned Mackerel; I give it to my raw fed dogs twice a week so I always have it on hand. How much do you give your girls and do you use the entire fish pieces? Some of them are pretty meaty.
The wet mash sounds like something worth trying too. When you say mash, are you talking about the regular crumble feed?
Sorry to ask so many questions, just want to make sure I get it right.
Thank you for all your suggestions, it really helps.

Sorry for the delay in answering.
I drain the liquid and mix the entire can of mackerel in the wet mash. They grab the chunks of fish like they are the best thing ever then finish the mash a bit later. This mix even draws the broody out of the nest to eat.

I think the pacific pearl oyster shell can be ordered through shop grange co-op.com. it may be pricy to ship but 50 pounds lasts a very long time so would be worth it.
Perhaps asking the feed store to order some in would also be an option.

I hope your gals are doing better.

 

[Carole McKelvey]

I regularly feed my girls crushed eggshells, veggie leftovers and cleanouts from veggie drawer, plus stale bread. They love all of it. I have one hen who has been molting forever and is laying shell-less eggs. Any suggestions for her? Supplements? Anything helpful.

 

[Bobby Basham]

I regularly feed my girls crushed eggshells, veggie leftovers and cleanouts from veggie drawer, plus stale bread. They love all of it. I have one hen who has been molting forever and is laying shell-less eggs. Any suggestions for her? Supplements? Anything helpful.

I've read that people sometimes use canned cat food to help them during their molt. --BB

 

[Maeser]

Does anyone feed their chickens milk? if so... just regular cows milk (2%) and how often?

My chickens have always loved milk and dairy products. There are usually just the two of us at home, so leftover milk is a treat they get about once a week. They love liquid milk, but love clabberd milk even more. I use dairy products as a good source of supplemental calcium. We use full fat dairy products, but 2% would work, too.

 

[MIchickenlady]

My girls get fruit & veg that is too soft/old for people food, but not rotten or mouldy.
Grapes go mushy so fast...my girls LOVE them, I do rip them in half otherwise theyd swallow them whole!

 

[squishychicky]

I know this is probably controversial..

When i make chicken stock, i simmer in the slow cooker for 24 hours, till the bones are soft, then i strain it off and my chooks get the left over solids, minus the onion that i fish out.

They go NUTS! I figure this way at least nothing goes to waste.

They also gorge themselves under my fruit trees, especially the mulberries, which drop tons for a month or two a year, and anything the darn fruit flies get to.