Wild Bird Seed - Are the chickens okay to eat it?

[California Girls]

I've been feeding the wild birds around here with my feeder. However, the seed falls quite a lot , and the chickens go crazy over it. Is it okay for them to eat it? I've noticed one or two of them have diarrhea. Need help with my problem.
Thank you.

 

[possumqueen]

Probably a lot of fat in those seeds that might cause the diarrhea. It's okay for them to have SOME, but not lots and lots. Maybe you could rake up the excess to toss on the compost heap, so the girls can scratch up the rest.

Having them clean up is a good idea because your feeders will be less likely to attract things you don't want, like raccoons and possums.

And -- second thought here -- take the excess seed and sprout it, and feed it to the girls as sprouts. They'll get lots of protein out of that, and not so much of the diarrhea.

 

[California Girls]

Thank you.

 

[elmo]

I put my bird feeders outside my fenced yard because I don't want to attract wild birds to congregate where my chickens hang out. It would make it more likely that my chickens could pick up diseases or parasites from the wild birds, and feeders that attract birds also attract hawks that eat birds.