Topic of the Week - Feeding Treats

[Raeja]

Many of us like to give our flocks a little treat now and then, beside their usual feed. So this week I would like to hear you all's thoughts on feeding treats. Specifically:

- At what age can you start offering chicks treats and how do you go about it?
- What treats do you give your flock?
- How much, and how often do you feed treats?
- What treats should NOT be given to chickens, or given in moderation?
- What are your flock's favourite treats?


For a complete list of our Topic of the Week threads, see here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive

I peel two ears of corn on the cob and cut it into 4 pieces each and give it to my 2 Rhode Island Reds (my polish died in March) 3 to 5 times a week. I do occassionaly give them a slice of Whole Grain Bread but very rarely. The also like to eat egg shells that I crumble very well and dry out a bit before giving it to them

 

[Frazzemrat1]

I peel two ears of corn on the cob and cut it into 4 pieces each and give it to my 2 Rhode Island Reds (my polish died in March) 3 to 5 times a week. I do occassionaly give them a slice of Whole Grain Bread but very rarely. The also like to eat egg shells that I crumble very well and dry out a bit before giving it to them

I would avoid bread with yeast in it... it can cause a crop infection called Sour Crop.

 

[Wolfie2]

I know this is an older thread, just thought I would add my $.02. When I think of "treats" I discount things like calcium and other additives that are necessary for their health. My girls are on the pasture most of the day and don't like to go into the pen/coop until almost dark. So every evening they get a treat to get them inside on my time. Standard mix is about 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, a cup of scratch grains and a cup of store bought meal worms. They also get scraps from the kitchen but have to share with the goats. They goats like some of the same green leafy stuff, breads and fruits the hens like.

 

[JbR]

I must have missed the memo: can someone tell me what's wrong with Chinese mealworms?

This is a very good question! China has been known to irradiate the food and treats for pets as well as use antibiotics and chemicals that are illegal here and this all has proven deadly! For example many dog treats are from China and it wasn't until thousands of dogs died that the treats were tested by US government. China Illegally used a deadly antibiotic that was found to be the cause (denied it until they couldn't). Dogs (& cats) continued to be killed for several years. It was truly heartbreaking. We know they aren't honest and definitely do not care about our pets. (Trust me I have A LOT more examples, including products for human use, but I think the point is clear)! China has tried to get around the "made in china" label by shipping them to small Asian countries and labeling them "from ___"...
I'm currently searching for USA grown mealworms that are somewhat affordable now, as my budget is tight. But I have found a couple that aren't in my budget...

 

[JbR]

Slightly off topic but Netflix has a series called Rotten, about how some of the food we eat isn’t what we think it is. I saw an episode about honey, which should have 1 ingredient- HONEY- but some of the imported honey has other stuff in it to make it cheeper. US honey producers are having a hard time keeping pace with the cheeper imports. Perhaps it’s the same with mealworms. Makes you wonder...
PS- There’s an episode about chickens in the series but as a vegetarian and chicken lover I can’t bear to watch it!

Very informative show! Must watch for everyone who wants to be informed! There are other off shoots of that show on Netflix now!

 

[Perris]

has been known

not here. Can you please link to some reputable source for this? something with an .org or .edu domain ideally.

 

[bajabirdbrain]

I have bought mealworms from rainbowmealworms.com and from pnwmealworms.com

One is based in California and the other in Oregon. No problems and reliable. I absolutely refuse to buy any product from China to feed to any living thing!

 

[WindingRoad]

Many of us like to give our flocks a little treat now and then, beside their usual feed. So this week I would like to hear you all's thoughts on feeding treats. Specifically:

- At what age can you start offering chicks treats and how do you go about it?
- What treats do you give your flock?
- How much, and how often do you feed treats?
- What treats should NOT be given to chickens, or given in moderation?
- What are your flock's favourite treats?


For a complete list of our Topic of the Week threads, see here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive

I have all hens. Chickens that are over 1 year old are hens.. Anything younger is a pullet. So I give mostly protein treats. I feed scratch year round. Here's my formula Two big scoops of pellets, 2 cups scratch, 2 cups of meal worms. I feed 18% protein all year round. Protein in protein out. Eggs are mostly protein. I have 5 WHLH and they are laying 3 eggs a day. One of them has about a 50% feather loss due to molting. I have been keeping them in the coop lately. Like every other day. Funny thing is the only one who goes out is the featherless one. Silly girl. We have snow on the ground. I am also getting 2 brown eggs a day now. All my brown layers are fully feathered in since their molts. I will say every one has opinions on feeding treats. Just don't feed toxic foods to your birds. And let them choose what they like and don't like. Mine love purple grapes. You can google for NONO foods. good luck.

 

[JbR]

not here. Can you please link to some reputable source for this? something with an .org or .edu domain ideally.

I realize the following links are not .org or .edu! However, this is a good source for ALL the links in one place to the FDA testing & reports since the treat problems started in 2007, as well as government sources in other countries. All easy to access from one place...

https://truthaboutpetfood.com/how-many-pets-have-ingredientsproducts-from-china-killed/

Or all the articles with links included:
https://truthaboutpetfood.com/?s=CHINA+and+petfood

Let me know if you need more information and I will be happy to find them for you.

 

[Perris]

the claims are not substantiated in either of those places. The links you provide say the FDA received reports of pet deaths; it does not say it found the cause in Chinese products. And it is about dog treats rather than mealworms.