What human foods are okay to give my hens?

[brooke070512]

I want to give my hens treats and stuff like that but I don't know what is healthy for them. What are some things that they would like and things I should avoid?
Also, do the breeds affect what is and isn't okay?
I know Charlotte, Pot pie, and Dumpling are Buff Orpingtons but I don't remember the other 3's breed. (My grandpa named pot pie and dumpling, im honestly sorry if it offends anybody.."

 

[rebrascora]

Hi
A chicken's diet is quite critical especially if they are pets that you have an emotional investment in and want to keep them to a ripe old age (as oppose to the meat and egg industry where they are culled relatively young. Giving them too many treats is a mistake that can make them sick or kill them over time so you need to be very strict about how much and what you give them. Orpingtons being larger birds are more susceptible to Fatty Liver Haemorrhagic Syndrome and obesity which is difficult to see in such a fluffy bird and can also lead to reproductive disorders, so it is not necessarily about what they can eat but how much.
What their feed consists of is also important. Feeding a higher protein feed that contain 20%protein allows you a little more leeway as regards treats than a basic 16% protein pellet/crumble.
They love high carbohydrate treats like bread and corn and pasta and rice and cake and biscuits and breakfast cereal etc but it can really upset their nutrient balance, particularly if they are penned and don't get the chance to burn off the extra calories by free ranging and scratching about all day long, so if you must feed those items keep it to a very small amount.... like one slice of bread between 10 hens once a week.
Many people give their chickens oatmeal/porridge and whilst chickens love it, it is not good for their digestive system so probably best to avoid that. A warm mash made by soaking their pellets of crumbles in warm water until they break down into a soggy mush is surprisingly attractive to them and they will go at that like it is a wonderful treat and it is far healthier for them, so don't feel a treat has to be something different.
Fruit and veggies are good either cooked or raw.
Meat (including chicken), eggs and fish are good but be aware of salt and fat content, because these can be a problem for them like us.
They love cheese but again it is a very fat and salt food, so only a very small amount occasionally, maybe once a fortnight or once a month. Cottage cheese is a better option than full fat hard cheeses.

Basically, their total daily treats should be less than 10% of their daily food intake, so not more than a tablespoon per bird per day..... and that includes things like scratch, so if you give them a tablespoon of scratch or cracked corn etc a day, then no other treats should be given. If you give them other treats, stop the scratch/corn.

I'm sorry if that sounds a bit complicated but it is very easy to end up with fat hens with health problems by feeding too many treats, so you really have to be very careful and disciplined about it.

Good luck with your flock.

 

[chickens really]

Healthy treats can be given a couple times a week. Mine love cooked spaghetti squash, apples, cucumber, pears, berries, thawed mixed veggies....Broccoli and scratch grains.

 

[Animals45]

You can give them Corn, Apples, Apple peals,