white bread for chicken

[abdiro]

Can you share the article talking about using bread as a main food source? I don't even give bread to my birds as a treat. It's not good for them.

i forget the articles names but i have that site that talk about bread effect (positives and negatives) https://backyardchickenchatter.com/can-chickens-eat-bread/ i will search for the articles and send them for you a soon as posible

 

[abdiro]

Bread is not nutritionally complete for any species.

It is missing vitamins, minerals, amino acids, protein and just about everything a chicken requires to be healthy.

bread source is barley or wheat (naturel chicken food) so he have ther composition (almost) + additions to test

 

[Artichoke Lover]

bread source is barley or wheat (naturel chicken food) so he have ther composition (almost) + additions to test

It has less than half of most of the nutrients they need. And is high in calories. White bread only has 7% protein while laying hens need at least 16% and that isn’t for a lot. Even if you are getting bread for free it would be expensive to to make up the extra protein, calcium, and other vitamins needed as it would be to pick up a bag of cheap layer feed. I personally wouldn’t feed bread I would A. feed layer pellets. B. Mix my own feed. Or C. Let them live off free range the the occasional veggie scraps long before I fed mostly bread. This is my last post on the subject.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

i read alot of articles about using bread as a main feed of chicken some of them engourage to feed adult chicken (one or two even say it is safe for baby chicken ) .and other researches prevent that (note: A starter diet is about 24% protein, grower diet 20% protein, and finisher diet 18% protein) .i conclude some ideas and i well be happy if you support or correct me :
1-white bread contain 7.3 percent P so what if we add worms (much protein) and eggshells (calcuim) .can that be a dailly food
2-one of the problems of give bread to chicken that will make them fat and lead to decrease production .if we pastured the flock that will help to reduce the fat or not
3-the bread can made digestive problems ( bread can quickly form balls inside your chicken’s crop) .the water can fix that
4-whats the other problems can bread create
*thank you*

You’ve come to the wrong place if you want your actual theoretical questions answered...this is the land of “chickens can only eat chicken feed”. I think the place is sponsored by feed companies er something.

As you mentioned, you’d need to supplement protein and calcium. Probably some trace minerals as well (although a lot of the added minerals in commercial food are found in meat). Fresh produce would probably supply a number of the remaining nutrients.

It’d take some research for sure, and it’d certainly be more work than feeding commercial feed. It’d likely cost more unless you can source everything free/cheap, and you may see less than optimum egg production if something is missing...but can it be done? Absolutely!

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I wonder if we need a separate area to talk “alternate/theoretical chicken feeding and nutrition”. Would save an awful lot of “only commercial feed” and “only 10%” posts.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

I wonder if we need a separate area to talk “alternate/theoretical chicken feeding and nutrition”. Would save an awful lot of “only commercial feed” and “only 10%” posts.

Good idea!

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Good idea!

Great, there goes my one for the week on Sunday morning!

 

[alwaystj9]

I feed bread to my chickens. I have not died nor gone to he!! yet. Nor have my chickens. But as I am selling a roo & 2 hens maybe someone will decide to buy them to rescue them from a farm where they feed them some bread.

As to the expense, I have a bakery outlet nearby where I get large bags of bread really cheaply. And I have a toothless horse who is on a partial diet of wheat bread....(oh heck...now the no bread fed to horses people are going to come after me)

 

[alwaystj9]

And before the right to eat only healthy food people start: My animals also get bagged, store bought food.

 

[21hens-incharge]

The OP was asking about bread as the main food source.

As a treat I have no issue with it as a treat.

Personally I do give treats...a variety of fruits, veggies, grains and even meats.

If I wanted store quality eggs then bagged feed alone would suffice.

Chickens are omnivores a varied diet isn't a bad thing.