Treats I feed to my chickens

[Raeja]

If your chickens are kept in a coop and run and you supply a commercially produced feed, preferably between 18% and 24% protein. And, if you only have females calcium at around 4% for regular layers, then the treats you mention are great fun for you but not quite so good for your hens.
The 10% only treats recommendation only makes sense for chickens kept in an average sized run.
If you fully free range or even if you let them out of the run for a couple of hours a day, then they will find all sorts of things to eat and it is not possible to maintain any regulation on their nutrient intake. Under these conditions (free range) I would scrap all the treats you mention, apart from the herbs in small quantities and consider feeding them a teaspoonful of meat or fish each once a day.
Chickens are omnivorous and most will happily eat meat and fish. The advantage to feeding meat and fish over the treats you mention is both meat and fish have all the necessary proteins and most of the vitamins and minerals your chicken needs.
You could split this in to two, or more treat sessions if you wanted, but bear in mind the teaspoonful limit per day.
You will still need to supply a commercial feed with the percentages mentioned above.
I like to give the free range chickens here treats, but the quantities are very small.
.
To put this in perspective. I will give half a walnut split between 6 chickens for example, or a grape each per day.
They do get treats at roost time, after they foraged and eaten the commercial feed, but it's a level handful between 15 to 20 chickens.
Chickens love treats but the truth is too many of the wrong type of treats are just not good for the chickens long term health. They can cause their internal organs to accumulate fat which can lead to organ failure, give mobility problems and decrease their egg production and in more extreme cases cause long term reproductive issues.

Thanks for the info. I do feed crumble to Pixie. I give her the hard boiled egg every day or two (not consistent) and the other stuff I give her just because I read an article somewhere that what they don't want/eat they scratch into the ground and are kind like natural composters. To me, Egg production is not a priority.

 

[Raeja]

Don't forget most chicken feeds are already corn based so adding more may not be beneficial. If you're going frozen... try peas instead.

Also.. noticing you're in Wi... please note the common myth that "corn keeps birds warm" is total bull. Feathers help keep birds warm in addition to their natural metabolism. Feathers are made from 90% protein and it's AMINO ACIDS. But that isn't to say that adding excess protein is good either... balance (according to guidelines the poultry nutrition experts have laid out) is key.

Eggs are great pick me up during times of need and occasional treat, but for informational purposes... according to energy content (aka calories not weight or volume) eggs are 34% protein and 64% fat.

Thanks for the info! I guess I won't be doing a tiny cob of corn a day and looks like it is best not to give more than a couple hard boiled eggs a day. Where shall I find the guidelines the poultry nutrition experts have laid out? I must say, I am so glad I commented on this thread because I am learning ALOT ~ Thank You to EVERYONE!

 

[Raeja]

Don't forget most chicken feeds are already corn based so adding more may not be beneficial. If you're going frozen... try peas instead.

Also.. noticing you're in Wi... please note the common myth that "corn keeps birds warm" is total bull. Feathers help keep birds warm in addition to their natural metabolism. Feathers are made from 90% protein and it's AMINO ACIDS. But that isn't to say that adding excess protein is good either... balance (according to guidelines the poultry nutrition experts have laid out) is key.

Eggs are great pick me up during times of need and occasional treat, but for informational purposes... according to energy content (aka calories not weight or volume) eggs are 34% protein and 64% fat.

Thanks for the info! I guess I won't be doing a tiny cob of corn a day and looks like it is best not to give more than a couple hard boiled eggs a day. Where shall I find the guidelines the poultry nutrition experts have laid out? I must say, I am so glad I commented on this thread because I am learning ALOT ~ Thank You to EVERYONE!

 

[Princesschicken1]

Sometimes it can just be random if you just happen to see them eat a feather. It is often blamed on low protein intake but feathers are only about 2-5% digestible protein so I don't buy that.

If they are actively plucking feathers from each other and eating them I would consider it a behavioral problem related to bullying, boredom, overcrowding, or crankiness from malnutrition not an actual attempt to replace protein.

I have also read, but not seen or verified that plucked feathers can have bloody ends... and blood is very tasty to chickens indeed.

Thanks for telling me that but my chickens find feathers on the ground and eat them they don't pluck them off each other

 

[Princesschicken1]

Thanks for the info! I guess I won't be doing a tiny cob of corn a day and looks like it is best not to give more than a couple hard boiled eggs a day. Where shall I find the guidelines the poultry nutrition experts have laid out? I must say, I am so glad I commented on this thread because I am learning ALOT ~ Thank You to EVERYONE!

You can feed your chickens corn but not every day

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Thanks for telling me that but my chickens find feathers on the ground and eat them they don't pluck them off each other

Then in your case... it is random curiosity and the info will be there for others who might find it useful.

 

[Raeja]

You can feed your chickens corn but not every day

I did not feed her a cob of corn every day. I alternated with 2 hard boiled eggs. I have learned that eggs are more fat than protein and not advisable to give often. I also learned protein helps their feathers and to keep warm. I also learned crumble should be between 16%-24%. I have one chicken and live in southeastern Wisconsin and have been feeding Countryside Crumble which is only 16%, so will talk to my ex-brother in law or nephew at Jack and Dick Feed in Janesville and see what else they have with a higher protein content.

 

[Fluffyflufffluff]

Don't forget most chicken feeds are already corn based so adding more may not be beneficial. If you're going frozen... try peas instead.

Also.. noticing you're in Wi... please note the common myth that "corn keeps birds warm" is total bull. Feathers help keep birds warm in addition to their natural metabolism. Feathers are made from 90% protein and it's AMINO ACIDS. But that isn't to say that adding excess protein is good either... balance (according to guidelines the poultry nutrition experts have laid out) is key.

Eggs are great pick me up during times of need and occasional treat, but for informational purposes... according to energy content (aka calories not weight or volume) eggs are 34% protein and 64% fat.

Yep, I agree with the peas. It's a great source of protein for chickens. Peas have high levels of lysine—even more than soybeans. So they're a good alternative protein source for bird diets.

 

[Raeja]

I guess I will be buying PEAS. Need to do what I can do for Pixie since she is my newest hen and the only one left

 

[drumstick diva]

Now I'm getting a craving for peas