Quote:
My birds love table scraps, but I do follow a few rules as to what I give.
1) I only give scraps after they've eaten a good breakfast, or an hour after I refill their feeder and they've had a good dinner (I only give them enough for 24 hours at a time, so their food is fresh every day, and I refill their feeder 2-3 hours before sunset. That way they eat well a few hours before they go to bed so they're nice and warm through the night, and they've got plenty of food first thing when they wake up in the morning and aren't so loud. During the middle of the day they run out of food for 2-3 hours, but they're free ranging so they get plenty of exercise and eat lots of grass). I save up their scraps and time it this way so that they eat their balanced diet well first, and don't wait and beg for food that might not be as completely balanced.
2) No more than 20% of their intake can be table scraps or scratch grains or other treats (grass doesn't count).
3) High calorie snacks are only given to the birds that need to gain weight.
4) Only healthy food is given. Only good quality food is given. If I don't want to eat it myself because its spoiled or poor quality, it's also not good enough for them.
5) There are a few things that I don't give them -- straight fat, bones, chicken skin, processed foods, high sugar foods (except fruit), too much fat at one time, avocado (potentially toxic to birds), rhubarb, or foods with little nutritional value,
6) Things that I regularly give them include small amounts of meat (fish, chicken, beef) cut into small pieces (because the turkeys will choke), boiled or scrambled eggs, yogart, cottage cheese, cooked or raw grains or whole wheat pasta or breads (if they're not overweight), fruit and vegetables from the orchard or garden (cherries, pears, apples, plums, grapes, currents, gooseberries, melons, kiwi, tomatoes, grated carrots, grated radishes, grated broccoli stems, romaine lettuce, spinach, collards, asian greens, peas, sweet peppers, hot peppers (a huge favorite), cooked potatoes, shredded brussell sprouts, fresh corn, eggplant, cucumber, pumpkin, squash, those sorts of things). They'll eat almost anything if they're taught to do so early enough. But turkeys aren't as good at taking a large piece of food and shaking it or tearing it apart into small pieces, so it is important to cut everything up small enough to not just fit through the mouth but slide through the intestines without getting stuck. Large chunks can cause choking or blockages. I had one bird get a crop blockage because she ate too many finely chopped broccoli florettes at once and they all clung together, so I don't do that anymore.
7) I try to figure out what some of the favorite foods are of each bird. That way if someone gets sick and I have to beg it to eat, I'll know what it finds irresistible.
