Treating your Chickens?

[BantyChooks]

Define "treat". My birds get kitchen scraps whenever they're available, which is about every few days in winter or every day in the summer when we're eating lots of fresh food. I don't buy mealworms or feed them perfectly good people food.
I have no idea what percentage of their diet it makes up. I have a large, free range flock, which probably helps it work better than it would for a small flock of layer hens in a cramped yard.

As for what's in the chicken scraps, it varies. Sometimes meat, like fatty pork bits, or chicken after it's been stewed for stock. I pick the biggest onion bits out of it because they don't like it and I've also heard it's not good for them. There are a lot of vegetables and fruits, like apple cores, asparagus ends, wilted lettuce, and yellowed broccoli. Occasionally a soggy bowl of cereal, or mouldy rice/baked beans/bread. They've gotten a giant box full of bakery castoffs a few times. Also, eggs. If one gets cracked while I'm washing it, back out it goes. They love it and I haven't had any issues with them eating their own eggs afterwards.

Edit: I get a bag of cracked corn now and then. They enjoy it, it helps stretch my feed bill during summers, and it encourages them to scratch more in matted areas. It does not make up a significant portion of their diet, especially in winter when I am aware they don't have the normal option of freely supplementing any nutritional imbalances.

 

[Shadrach]

I'm going to be horribly honest and disgrace myself in the process.
I give treats every day. but the quantity in relation to their feed and what they forage is very small; less than 5% of their daily food intake.
I don't feed what you call scratch in the USA.
I give a small amount of fish or meat every other day in their feed during the winter months and every three days in the spring and summer when there are more bugs available. I don't count this as treats. It's to ensure they don't all start wearing beads and sandals and ask me to buy them Vegan cookbooks and try to sit cross legged in the nest boxes; it confuses the chicks for a start.
Now some hens prefer some things while others prefer other things.
Fat Bird for example loves a bit of Pizza; Bracket won't touch the stuff and complains that the Mozzarella gums her beak up
The wine grapes that grow here are really popular. I've stopped peeling them for them because I just get mobbed when they get tired of waiting.
Vintage cheddar cheese seems to go down well with all, but I can only do this once in a while because it takes ages for the peck wounds on the ends of my fingers to heal up.
Walnuts are liked by all. I've always got some in my pocket, whereas I found with meal worms I was getting strange looks in the local bars when I pulled a handkerchief out which wiggles a bit.
Punch is rather keen on a bit of yogurt with the local honey mixed in but he's not the tidiest of eaters and the clean up operation after is a bit of a chore.

 

[Morrigan]

I give my birds extras every day. Every morning and late afternoon they get a handful of a treat mix (meal worms, boss and some scratch grains). I also sprout a mix of wheat, barley, boss, and lentils, and they get a chunk of that each day (I budget 1 dry cup of the sprouting mix per day for 13 chickens). That's their normal, daily routine, but I also give them whoever suitable kitchen scraps I have. Today, it was the seeds/core from a butternut squash and half an old pear. In the summer, they get a lot of garden produce. They also have a decent size yard to forage in for weeds, worms and bugs. My goal is to give them a healthy variety of things chickens would normally eat. I try to be mindful of giving them empty calories or too much of any one thing.

I also try to pay attention to how they are doing, what their droppings look like, the quality of the eggs I'm getting.

 

[StevenW]

I have a dozen mixed hens and a rooster. I give them a couple of handfuls of meal worms daily, bread, bits of fruit, and when its cold raw oatmeal. Sometimes I hang a full head of cabbage from a bungee cord and they love that. My hens are healthy as can be, and I get 6-7 eggs every day...even in the winter..

 

[21hens-incharge]

I'm going to be horribly honest and disgrace myself in the process.
I give treats every day. but the quantity in relation to their feed and what they forage is very small; less than 5% of their daily food intake.
I don't feed what you call scratch in the USA.
I give a small amount of fish or meat every other day in their feed during the winter months and every three days in the spring and summer when there are more bugs available. I don't count this as treats. It's to ensure they don't all start wearing beads and sandals and ask me to buy them Vegan cookbooks and try to sit cross legged in the nest boxes; it confuses the chicks for a start.
Now some hens prefer some things while others prefer other things.
Fat Bird for example loves a bit of Pizza; Bracket won't touch the stuff and complains that the Mozzarella gums her beak up
The wine grapes that grow here are really popular. I've stopped peeling them for them because I just get mobbed when they get tired of waiting.
Vintage cheddar cheese seems to go down well with all, but I can only do this once in a while because it takes ages for the peck wounds on the ends of my fingers to heal up.
Walnuts are liked by all. I've always got some in my pocket, whereas I found with meal worms I was getting strange looks in the local bars when I pulled a handkerchief out which wiggles a bit.
Punch is rather keen on a bit of yogurt with the local honey mixed in but he's not the tidiest of eaters and the clean up operation after is a bit of a chore.

 

[TomZilla43]

I have 7 hens of various breed, typically I let them free range around our property for an hour or two in the afternoon. When it's time to go back in I give them a handful or two of scratch and the same of mealworms(They RUN to the coop when they see me headed that way). Also I will occasionally hang an apple, cabbage or some sort of squash in the coop for them to play chicken tether ball with and occasionally I give them bananas that are just a little long in the tooth for me.

 

[Ghosty]

I give mine a 20 oz. cup of scratch a day for about 20 birds. I must admit I am bad too, though. If I am working in the garage or shop and they keep mobbing me, I will toss out another cup just to get them out of my hair. They also get the occasional raw egg. They free range, so they get whatever else they can find. They like to get into the dog food.

 

[Lisa-Lu]

I'm another daily treater here. Mine get a handful of mealworms every day, and I am slowly learning what kitchen scraps I can give them. They got leftover rice the other day and loved it. Right now they have a mealworm/sunflower seed cake that they play tether ball with, I am going to replace that with an apple or head of cabbage when they finish it. Mine only get to free range a couple hours a day during the week, but all day on the weekends.

 

[Njroosters]

My birds free range all day and get LOTS of table scraps and leftovers. We have young kids and loving grandparents that cook for an army. Our feed bill for 25 birds is very low. Birds are very healthy and lay well. I probably go through a 50 lb bag of feed every 2.5 months.

Perhaps the limits are more applicable to confined flocks. Thus far i have not seen any health issues. Just happy birds!

 

[starri33]

I give mine veggies as I have them, some scratch in the mornings so that I can get in the gate, then little more in the evenings, again so that I can get in the gate..lol.. otherwise they have laying feed.