Treats and leftovers

[Redfeathers]

Hi

Since this is the best forum on the planet, I would love to have everyones thoughts on what they give their chickens as treats, leftovers, do's and dont's. How much can they have. I am getting four hens soon and need to make sure I don't over do it. They will of course be getting regular feed as well.

Thanks for your time and input!!

 

[SandraChick]

Oh...you'll get a lot of different answers and their are lots of older threads that cover what people feed their chickens and what they like or don't like.

The more you free-range your birds, the less you have to worry about what and how much you give them as they tend to self regulate their diet. If they will be penned at all times, keep treats and other goodies in the mind frame that they are treats and thus a little is good, but too much will alter their dietary consumption of proteins and other good things.


I freerange my chickens...so they hardly eat ANY feed at all--although it's available to them free choice 24/7. They get all the leftovers from the kitchen. The only thing they don't self regulate well is salt...so not too many frenchfries and not too much bacon or bacon grease.....other than that...just about anything goes. Many won't feed their chickens onions or too much fish as it supposedly changes the flavor of their eggs, but I haven't had such a problem.

One of the other few nono's is raw potato...but that just about for any animal!

Once they're getting close to laying age, you'll want to put out oyster shell free-choice. Additionally, if they don't free range, you'll want to find some grit to give to them free choice also. Pigeon grit will do if you can't find chicken grit. Some people will say the oyster shell is all they need as far as grit...but that's only true of laying age hens that free range and supplement with real rocks.


Good luck and enjoy
Sandra

 

[Chez]

Hi I am a new chick owner and have been learning what to feed mine, I have one Rhode Island Red, two Silkies, one black one white, one black Cochin and one tiny, black Pekin.

The last two I have only had four/five days and the others since the middle of September, I bought them all for my Birthday thinking then, my husband couldn't be too cross with me! (but he still was!)

I let mine feed on chicken feed during the morning, then they might have some soaked bread, then later on some mashed veggie leftovers and before bed time, they have porrige or ready brek and love it! I just pray this is all okay for them, they also have tomatoes and grapes cut in half and corn! and are all adorable and rush to meet me in their pen as I call out 'chook, chook, chook' the neighbours think I am mad, so does my hubbie, maybe I am, mad and happy!

 

[Redfeathers]

Chez,

You are perfectly normal. I'm spending way too much time out at the chicken pen and just today taught my white crested polish to jump up on my shoulder for a meal worm. The rest are still a little skittish but the meal worms are definately a hit. Same with corn on the cob, they all will sit on my lap for that if I'm in a chair. So, don't feel like you're weird because if you are, that means the rest of us on this site are weird too. lol

 

[CoyoteMagic]

I give my chickens everything we don't eat, except meat and rawpotato peelings. I did give them some left over chicken during the summer but they just left it until the flies took over and then ate the grubs. Hubby boils up the peelings then feeds them. What they don't eat gets turned under as they scratch and will eventually become compost anyway.

They are crazy for mac & cheese

 

[Redfeathers]

Mac and cheese...whodathunk.

So basically you give it to them and if they don't eat it, they just scratch it under. I'm glad to hear that, I didn't want to be out in the run picking up scattered food they didn't eat. It's just hard to imagine chickens eating human food but I love the whole idea of taking things out to them and watching them enjoy it. I hope my girls start to get excited to see me every evening after dinner.

Thanks for the ideas. Now I know not to feed potato skins.

 

[MissPrissy]

My chickens eat anything we eat and a lot of things we don't. I give them a mix of cooked rice, chopped boiled eggs (with the shell) and homemaqde yogurt -which they love!. They get all of the vegetable scraps, kitchen scraps (including cooked meat pieces), and day old bread I get from the grocery store venders. They get whatever is left over from my garden as well. They have bugs and grass and whatever else they find from the pasture. They have commercial feed available all the time as well as oyster shells and grit and a weekly scoop of blackoil sunflower seeds. Also lots of fresh cold water. They have never turned those beaks up at anything I have given them. It is more like slopping hogs than feeding chickens. LOL

Edited to add - they had spaghetti and meatball scraps tonight. They ran around with noodles in their beaks like big long worms snatching and grabbing them from each other. It was mayhem! LOL

 

[Redfeathers]

Thank you Missprissy. I laughed at the spaghetti eating chickens. I can't wait to get mine. I really enjoyed your website as well, you write very well in an entertaining and matter of fact way that I really liked.

Keep those ideas coming, you all are giving me a lot of insight into what life with chickens is going to be like.
Today we put bricks around the base of the run, tomorrow I'm putting netting at the top to keep other birds out. It's almost like developing fort knox to keep them safe and they aren't even here yet.

 

[MissPrissy]

Better to be safe than sorry.

 

[cheeptrick]

I read in another thread that giving chickens APPLES was a big no no...because apples usually have a huge infestation of worms in them? I did notice at the 'organic' apple orchard a posting for FREE animal feed of apples and thought I'd go get some. But after finding out that a vet recommended NOT giving chickens apples because of worms...I've since changed my mind.
OH...and I did give my chickens apples and they loved them BEFORE I knew that apples can have worms. But it makes sense, SINCE gnats are always all over them.
I'm currently worming mine...and I also read on another forum that YOU can eat eggs while worming them...you just cannot sell them! No difference in taste...HMMMMM!