Where Does "Nutritious Part of Chickens' Diet" End and "Too Many Treats" Begin?

[3KillerBs]

I work at a farm stand and can carry away all the unsalable produce I want -- bruised peaches and cantaloupes, wilted squash, wormy tips off shucked corn, shriveled cucumbers, tired tomatoes, etc.

How much is a valuable, fresh-food supplement to their diet and how much is too many treats?

Currently I have 12, 4-week-old chicks and, in the two days they've been with me, I have given them very limited amounts since I figured that even if its good for them they'd need time to adapt their digestion to handle it. They like everything but the okra, which I think might be too fibrous for them at the moment.

Since their ability to range in an unfenced, in-town yard will be limited I want to make sure that get fresh foods regularly in a way that's good for them

I'll be keeping 4 to 6 hens. How much, in weight, volume, or numbers would you give to a flock that size daily? A lb? A quart? 2 zucchini and a tomato? ???

 

[Judy]

The trouble with coming up with a specific answer is, it depends so much on the nutritional balance they are getting. You could give nothing but "treats" -- if you knew they would provide a good balance of protein, vitamins and minerals, etc. What I've run across so often on here is giving too many veggie scraps and causing the protein % in the diet to drop significantly. I've also run across, fairly often, the recommendation that treats be limited to 10% of the diet.

 

[3KillerBs]

But surely there's some kind of general guideline?

How much is 10% of an adult chicken's diet?

 

[3KillerBs]

I've ended up keeping their feeder full, mixing scratch with meat scraps as the meat scraps happen, and offering unsalable fruit and veggies as they come available without worrying. The chickens seem to know how much of what to eat and "leftovers" become one with the bedding.