Wilb Bird Food As Treats????

[bald k9]

Does any one know if I can give my chickens the wild bird seed corn etc.. like you buy at the store as a treat for them?

 

[digitS']

I don't recall seeing corn in the wild bird seed mixes I've bought but I'd limit these things in my chickens' diet. Mostly the mixes seem to be millet.

Once, I wasn't buying a mix but was given 50 pounds of wild bird seed. I thought that this might be pretty good feed for my pigeons. They began to look worse and worse over the weeks I kept them on this feed. I just had a few but I'm not sure if they would have stayed alive thru the winter on this diet.

The problem is, as I see it, that there are probably NO standards whatsoever for wild bird seed. You may have the finest available on the market. But, the next store down the road could have complete junk - and how would you know?

I'd certainly consider it only a treat and give only whatever the chickens could clean up in a few minutes.

. . . . just my 2¢.

Steve

 

[SurprisingWoman]

I give my girls wild bird seed all the time. I buy it from the Audubon Society and "The Wild Bird Center" here in town. http://www.wildbird.com/

Mine don't like scratch but they do love birdseed. It's true that millet seems to be a favorite.

I give it to them in the morning to get their day off to a good start and sometimes before bed if it's cold.

Millet is about 11% protein so I think there are worse things they could eat. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millet

I have five girls that free range on half an acre so they are pretty picky about what they will eat.

For instance... they don't care for cheddar cheese or munster but they LOVE havarti and provolone. Yeah, they are that spoiled.

 

[JENx]

I give mine a small amount most days with corn and often mealworms. It's just a treat! Keeps them busy pecking it up!

 

[ShaggysGirl]

Mine get some from under the bird feeders when they are free ranging.
I don't see any harm in it as long as it isn't the main part of their diet.

 

[missrose]

I had cans and cans of regular canned corn. I didnt want it to go bad so I sun dried it. will my chickens like it? is it safe to add to their scratch?

 

[elmo]

A friend of mine offers his birds a good brand of wild bird seed, lets them free range, and supplements with cat food. The chickens seem to be doing better on this diet than they did with poultry feed (they certainly like it better).

I offer mine a handful of parakeet seed mix when I go out in the morning to move them from their coop into their tractor, and then again when I move them back to their coop at night.

 

[Tala]

I feed bird seed as a treat, I use it instead of scratch in the summertime. Now I'm using straight BOSS for treats.

I also use the suet blocks that have various bird seed mixes stuck on/in them.

I had cans and cans of regular canned corn. I didnt want it to go bad so I sun dried it. will my chickens like it? is it safe to add to their scratch?

I don't bother to dry it. They can eat it canned just fine. I've tossed them leftover canned corn and they like it better than dried.​