Why not spoil them?

[Kerry heatherington]

i feed my chickens chicken feed in the morning when they come out of their coops, they free range ll over the place during the day. They ave discovered my compost heap lately and like to ig in there as well. my first chickens ever were last year, i had 10, there are 3 left, 2 hens and one rooster. the gals have bald spots on their sides and my rooster has had bald patches all summer, and his wing tip feathers are a bit rough and worn. I suspect too much nooky. He is getting a bit agressive, I just pick hm up for a bit and he calms down. I call the chicken feed chicken crack cause they sure know what it is and where it is stored. the new atch of 17 chicks will be out with the others full time in about a week or 2, still a bit worried about violence... lol..I over fed my first bunch by a lot it appears, these new ones are getting a more proper amout of feed. I hope to get em just free ranging at some point. maybe, i hope ..lol

 

[Mosey2003]

i feed my chickens chicken feed in the morning when they come out of their coops, they free range ll over the place during the day. They ave discovered my compost heap lately and like to ig in there as well. my first chickens ever were last year, i had 10, there are 3 left, 2 hens and one rooster. the gals have bald spots on their sides and my rooster has had bald patches all summer, and his wing tip feathers are a bit rough and worn. I suspect too much nooky.

If your rooster has bald patches too, it's not the nooky, it's more likely mites or lice.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I think a lot of this depends on what, when and why you are treating.

If you're giving them treats to make them "happy", you're not really. You're doing it to make YOU happy. Certainly they're excited for food, maybe even excited for unique food, but....
I get the same reaction when I throw a handful of dirt, oyster shell, scratch or grit into my chicken pen at a different time than feeding time. It's not something that happens often and even if I throw something mostly inedible (like dirt or wood chips or leaves in) I get the same reaction (though usually for a shorter time periodas they figure out it's not food). Similarly when I feed my dogs for kibble they literally jump and bark for joy. One of them has this silly backwards dance they do when I am holding the food bowl. They beg for food when it's bananas (which they love) or when it's spinach (which they hate). So it's not like they get the same thing out a varied diet that we do - it's mostly the excitement for the moment itself. A few treats may provoke a stronger reaction, but mostly they're just excited about existing and food.

So if you give them treats to make them happy, or because the beg, that's really all about you not them. But if you give them treats to do a task - get in the pen, do a trick, distract them from picking on another member of the group or to alleviate behavioral problems from being bored - this serves a purpose and is a good why.

When is also important and ties into why a little. If you give treats "just because" every day, guess what, it becomes as routine and normal as their feed and most chickens start to react to it the same as chicken feed. Also, if you give treats before regular food, this can be a real problem as they might not eat enough of a nutrient to be healthy or even lay eggs well.

And then comes what. Mealworms and sunflower seeds have a lot of protein and fat for example. This is like a big juicy hamburger - it's delicious but is it really a good idea to eat that every day? Maybe not, but a snack of it during moult when they are growing in feathers, or to a sick chicken that's loosing weight, or for chickens just starting to lay would be appropriate. A melon or melon rind is mostly water, which means it's a terrible snack in the winter when it will freeze fast and cool the chickens, but beneficial in the summer when they need extra moisture anyhow. A little bit of cracked corn or scratch on the coop floor in the evening in winter can give them extra heat from their digestion over night. What you feed is when treats become most beneficial to the birds.

Of course, chickens in our great grandparents days ate differently, they picked seeds from cow pats and they ate the corn the owners tossed out. They also were much smaller and layed many fewer eggs. If you'd like to keep your chickens that way, there are some old landrace-style breeds like game birds or jaerhons that would meet those expectations. With greater production and size comes greater nutritional needs.

So treats are fine, they serve a purpose and I certainly feed them, they can be beneficial to chickens and a good boredum buster, but they are pointless as an every day snack for no reason.

 

[lomine]

I guess by these definitions, I give my birds treats. I toss the usual stuff on my compost pile. Most of it gets eaten by the birds. I'm not going to toss it in the garbage and I like the idea of the birds getting vitamins and minerals from fresh foods.

When I clean out the goat stalls, most of the wasted hay is added to the coop. It's mostly for bedding but the birds also eat some of the hay (and poke around in any poop too I'm sure). Plus it's a form of mental stimulation for them. This is important on those cold, windy days when they don't want to go outside.

Every morning I toss out a mix of mealworms and BOSS or mealworms and clean grains. I'm taking about 3 cups or less worth of treats spread out among 40+ birds. Part of the reason I do it is because it's entertaining to watch. The other part is that it gives me a chance to observe my chickens and ducks. They free range over 3.5 acres and are often spread out. They know they are going to get a treat in the morning so they head to the barn when they see me coming. I toss out the treats and I get the whole group coming to me instead of me trying to follow them around. Most days it's dark before I get home so this is the best time to watch them.

I think it's important to offer a nutritionally balanced diet but I also think it's important to offer a varied diet.

 

[cmom]

I don't think the chicken's diet has a big factor on how long it lives. Mind you, I breed chickens so they never are around longer than 2 years

It's pretty much the same with me. I do have a few older birds.

 

[Grits&Eggs]

I have enjoyed reading all the different perspectives. I myself like to treat them and use it as a lure to get them to come running or get them out of the chunnels at night! And, lately after I cut the grass all the clippings go into the run, instead of the trash. Since I can't free range in the city it is a win-win and they go crazy for the greens

 

[theuglyduckling]

This thread has been very entertaining. Ive almost finished reading it.

My chickens eat kitchen scraps which include their egg shells and used coffee grinds. That all gets thrown at the bottom of their bowl with their feed on top. In the mornings they get almonds that i find that have fallen from the trees that night and morning. While i tend the sheep if i find any fallen fruit from my star fruit tree i toss that in as well and they also get weeds and grass and anything that my mil throws to them.

 

[The Chicken-Boy]

There is quite a difference between pasta = treat and green leafy vegetables (or grated carrots).

Yes!

Also, for awhile I was feeding my chickens processed pelleted feed. Then I switched them to a feed make mostly from field peas, wheat, cracked corn, and supplements. They immediately started laying better and looking more perky. I really don't buy into the "scientifically balanced" feed. Just looking at all the controversy over human nutrition, there's really no way to no for sure what you "need" to make sure you get into your chickens.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

My chickens only get mealworms when they go into the run. They only get frozen watermelon rinds on hot days. I do scatter some scratch in the run during the winter. My chickens will get some fried egg yolks if they would go to waste. They also get some meat on occasion.

 

[feathermaid]

Well, after reading this entire thread, I do agree with everyone who say treats are fine "in moderation". I wish I had taken that to heart all along... I thought I was okay letting my chickens have free access to my compost bin. But I put everything in there: vegetable trimmings, yard debris, scooped chicken poop and all our leftover food scraps including pasta and bread. They really enjoyed scratching through it all and I thought everything was fine... for two years.

Then about a month ago I noticed one of my hens was mysteriously sick. I posted a few threads about her... she died. I tried performing my own necropsy because I suspected egg binding. But what I found was an inch thick layer of visceral fat and possible organ failure. She was just over 2 years old.

That particular chicken always skipped the fruits and veggies and went straight for the bread and pasta first... every time. I think there's a lot to be said about overeating those carbs.

Needless to say, free access to the compost has been shut down and only healthy extras are given in moderation along with as much free range time as possible for a natural and varied diet.