What not to feed chickens

[CrazyTalk]

The best thing you can feed your chickens is a balanced commercial feed with corn, soy, and animal proteins. If you're feeding good food, you don't need the treats, and in most cases the treats are to the detriment of the animals.

An awful lot of problems on this board (and the laying board) could be solved if people would stop feeding "treats" to their birds. They don't need them, and they don't help.

 

[Spangled]

... her liver exploded due to eating too many sunflower seeds! A treat I feed them every day. Ayayay. The seeds are too fatty and they can't handle it.

How sad. So sorry.

According to the avian pathologist (? - I guess I don't know what kind of animal or avian medical professional did the autopsy), how many sunflower seeds are too many?

If it's a fat issue, then I guess we'd sorta need to know how much fat per day he/she thinks is too much for a layer based on her weight because chickens get fats/oils from other sources, too, not just sunflower seeds, so it would be the amount of fat from all sources that would have caused this hen's death, right? So imagine he/she asked you about that.

Were the sunflower seeds in the shell? Were they black oil sunflower seeds? Or were they unshelled sunflower seeds? Or which kind?

Also, was your hen confined in a coop/run set up or was she in a free range set up? If free range, how many acres did she have available to range? And what were her choices for foraging? Was her coop heated or unheated? What are the night time lows where this hen lived?

Also how were the sunflower seeds fed? Tossed? In a feeder in front of her continually? Did you have complete feed available at all times? Did you have grit available at all times? What other options were available to your hens? Did you feed them twice daily? Other kitchen scraps?

My chickens get sunflower seeds in their complete feed at 4#/100#, except when we have had some supply issues on other items in our homemade feed and I've sometimes subbed ground black oil sunflower seeds, etc., judiciously until supply issues abated.

I'd really not like any of my hens to die from exploding liver. I've looked into "fatty liver disease" and am aware of it, but "exploding liver" is new to me and it sounds just terrible.

So the only thing this autopsy person told you was to feed fewer sunflower seeds? They didn't give you any other guidelines?

I am just trying to figure out if there is anything I can learn from your experience that I should apply to my hens because "feed fewer sunflower seeds" is not detailed enough for me to apply to the hens I've got. Maybe I'm already feeding few enough. (?) No way of knowing.

 

[cjpines]

How sad. So sorry.

According to the avian pathologist (? - I guess I don't know what kind of animal or avian medical professional did the autopsy), how many sunflower seeds are too many?

If it's a fat issue, then I guess we'd sorta need to know how much fat per day he/she thinks is too much for a layer based on her weight because chickens get fats/oils from other sources, too, not just sunflower seeds, so it would be the amount of fat from all sources that would have caused this hen's death, right? So imagine he/she asked you about that.

Were the sunflower seeds in the shell? Were they black oil sunflower seeds? Or were they unshelled sunflower seeds? Or which kind?

Also, was your hen confined in a coop/run set up or was she in a free range set up? If free range, how many acres did she have available to range? And what were her choices for foraging? Was her coop heated or unheated? What are the night time lows where this hen lived?

Also how were the sunflower seeds fed? Tossed? In a feeder in front of her continually? Did you have complete feed available at all times? Did you have grit available at all times? What other options were available to your hens? Did you feed them twice daily? Other kitchen scraps?

My chickens get sunflower seeds in their complete feed at 4#/100#, except when we have had some supply issues on other items in our homemade feed and I've sometimes subbed ground black oil sunflower seeds, etc., judiciously until supply issues abated.

I'd really not like any of my hens to die from exploding liver. I've looked into "fatty liver disease" and am aware of it, but "exploding liver" is new to me and it sounds just terrible.

So the only thing this autopsy person told you was to feed fewer sunflower seeds? They didn't give you any other guidelines?

I am just trying to figure out if there is anything I can learn from your experience that I should apply to my hens because "feed fewer sunflower seeds" is not detailed enough for me to apply to the hens I've got. Maybe I'm already feeding few enough. (?) No way of knowing.

Good questions and I would like to know also.

 

[ClareC]

Here is what I understand. Her liver ruptured b/c of the fat from the seeds. Perhaps as a result of a fatty liver. Explode may have been hyperbole on the part of the pathologist. He said, "the liver just exploded". Not a disease called exploding liver. That is what the pathologist said. They are sending something thru the mail as a guideline for the future. I haven't received it yet.

I feed them a regular layer feed that is available all day but they do not hang around in their coop much. I also have some cracked corn scratch that I mixed with the seed and offered it to them once or twice a day. Mainly b/c they would run at me and follow me and that is obviously what they wanted. By feed I mean take a few handfuls and throw it on the ground. We live in So Cal at 4000' so it is cooler than the coast but it ain't no Michigan or other colder climes. It gets to freezing or near at night but is usually 45 or above during the day. Today it is in the 70s. So they do not need fat for the cold as much as some.

They have full run of an acre and a half of a 5 acre ranch. Two of them are able to jump the fences Not the buffs - the other two) so they go wherever they want. They eat bugs, I assume and whatever else they forage but the area they wander does not have a lot of vegetation.

The one who died was a buff brahma. She has two sisters that are the same age. So far they are ok as are the barred rock and cuckoo moran. Today I only gave them corn scratch and they were none too happy.

They were in the shell black oil sunflower seeds that I would buy at WINCO in their pet feed section of the bulk food items. I asked if the shells had anything to do with it and they said no, it was the fat from the seeds. My guess is that giving a moderate amount is fine, it was just the amount, tho it was supplemental to their regular food and foraging. But they sure loved them. I should have known as they ate them like candy. They get plenty of grit as they are free range.

I only occasionally feed them kitchen scraps but not often, as I prefer to put those is the compost pile (which is in a trash can with a top and not available to the chickens).

 

[cjpines]

Here is what I understand. Her liver ruptured b/c of the fat from the seeds. Perhaps as a result of a fatty liver. Explode may have been hyperbole on the part of the pathologist. He said, "the liver just exploded". Not a disease called exploding liver. That is what the pathologist said. They are sending something thru the mail as a guideline for the future. I haven't received it yet.

I feed them a regular layer feed that is available all day but they do not hang around in their coop much. I also have some cracked corn scratch that I mixed with the seed and offered it to them once or twice a day. Mainly b/c they would run at me and follow me and that is obviously what they wanted. By feed I mean take a few handfuls and throw it on the ground. We live in So Cal at 4000' so it is cooler than the coast but it ain't no Michigan or other colder climes. It gets to freezing or near at night but is usually 45 or above during the day. Today it is in the 70s. So they do not need fat for the cold as much as some.

They have full run of an acre and a half of a 5 acre ranch. Two of them are able to jump the fences Not the buffs - the other two) so they go wherever they want. They eat bugs, I assume and whatever else they forage but the area they wander does not have a lot of vegetation.

The one who died was a buff brahma. She has two sisters that are the same age. So far they are ok as are the barred rock and cuckoo moran. Today I only gave them corn scratch and they were none too happy.

They were in the shell black oil sunflower seeds that I would buy at WINCO in their pet feed section of the bulk food items. I asked if the shells had anything to do with it and they said no, it was the fat from the seeds. My guess is that giving a moderate amount is fine, it was just the amount, tho it was supplemental to their regular food and foraging. But they sure loved them. I should have known as they ate them like candy. They get plenty of grit as they are free range.

I only occasionally feed them kitchen scraps but not often, as I prefer to put those is the compost pile (which is in a trash can with a top and not available to the chickens).

Thank you for the details. I'm cutting way down on sunflower seeds. They say when molting sunflower seeds help to recover the feathers to more of a healthy shine. But what-the-heck let the feathers come back without too many sunflowers seeds naturally.

 

[Acornewell]

No onions

 

[Spangled]

Here is what I understand. Her liver ruptured b/c of the fat from the seeds. Perhaps as a result of a fatty liver. Explode may have been hyperbole on the part of the pathologist. He said, "the liver just exploded". Not a disease called exploding liver. That is what the pathologist said. They are sending something thru the mail as a guideline for the future. I haven't received it yet.

Thanks so much for the detailed explanation. It sounds like our set up is close enough to yours for this to be something for me to watch for. But I would think that I would have had problems before now. But then, with my hens, it's just about their only fat/oils source. I guess I could check their fishmeal to see what the fat content on that is. The other grains/legumes mine get in their complete feed don't have much fat; that's why the sunflower seeds are in their complete feed. But I do also toss some around every other day when I feel like it. I used the one handful for 3 birds guideline. I don't go over that when tossing it out unless it's super cold. But I can't remember if I heard that somewhere or if I made it up myself. (Getting up in years and I'm just lucky that I remember to comb my hair in the morning.)

If you have time, it would probably be helpful to share a short version of the guideline that you're getting in the mail, if it comes. If you have time, no pressure.

So, you had 5? hens? That's what I think I just counted. Did you feed them 1 cup a day? Or two handfuls? I'm sure you probably weren't out there measuring carefully, but about how much do you think they got a day?

Anyway, sorry you lost your little girlie. And I guess it's pretty good news that it wasn't bird flu.

 

[Eggmachine11]

Sugars/chocalotes are bad for them.Starch products are too.Many people feed the, starch,but if too much,it is bad.Bread is also a fatting food for them and is unhealthy.

that's all I can think of!

 

[Eggmachine11]

Mines stopped eating Medicated feed starter at a few months.You defintly shouldn't continue the process I don't think...

 

[ClareC]

So, you had 5? hens? That's what I think I just counted. Did you feed them 1 cup a day? Or two handfuls? I'm sure you probably weren't out there measuring carefully, but about how much do you think they got a day?

Anyway, sorry you lost your little girlie. And I guess it's pretty good news that it wasn't bird flu.

I probably gave them a handful each. When I get the recommendations I will give the details here.