Treats...How much is to much?

[miss jay's mama]

I have six spoiled chickens. I am worried about over feeding them treats. I usually give them half a bananna, 3 cups of chicken scratch w/sunflower seeds mixed in and 1 cooked cup of oatmeal. This is along with layer pellets that they have acess to 24/7. Is this to much? I don't think they look over weight, they seem healthy and happy. The ladies have been laying 1-4 eggs a day with no shell problems. What are your thoughts???

By the way these are their winter treats in the summer I don't give them oatmeal or scratch. They get garden leftovers.

 

[toddy111]

Can't wait til sum1 posts . . . . . I often wonder this too !!!!!

 

[digitS']

Okay, I'm just a regular sum 1 - no animal nutritionist.

What I do is weigh my commercial feed. It's easy, I just weigh the feeder before I fill it.

Now that it is Winter, what I'm shooting for is for the hens to eat 1/4 pound of their commercial feed each day. I don't count my "treats" as having any special value other than calories. They are probably getting all the protein, minerals, & vitamins that they need in 1/4 pound of feed.

I am still giving them good treats not junk food. They will have some cooked broccoli stems, pumpkin and an old roll today.

I actually increased the "treats" after I started this, "you will eat 1/4 pound of feed a day" program. Of course, it was -8°F yesterday morning and hasn't warmed up above 22°F today. They are eating like Sumo wrestlers

!

Steve