Does anyone know anything about chickens?! like what can/can't I feed to my chickens?

Question

Can chickens eat persimmon leaves? and what else can I feed them? besides the obvious Feed you buy from the stores, I'm talking about the things that are commonly use by humans. So far I've got different kinds of vegetables, pebbles, different sorts of shells, insects, snails, and fish meals. oh and by the way, when feeding fish things to the chickens, does the fish stuff have to be cooked? or can i just give it to them raw?

Answer 1

I have had chickens all of my life and never fed them fish meals. If you have the space, let them out of the pen/cage for grass (free range) for 30 minutes a day or whatever suits you. I have fed them all kinds of vegetables, hen scratch, laying mash, egg shells and insects. They also like to dust themselves in dirt  to get rid of the "bugs" on them. I have also dumped thier dirty water in the dirt so they could eat the mud (this helps them with the grinding of their food, too). I would watch things that expand when wet such as flour or rice. You don't want them to explode.

Answer 2

chicken fooood :)

pahahahahaha

Answer 3

They love any kind od bread or cracker.I use it as a treat every few days.They also get all of our left over vegies,they especialy like corn on the cob.They will pick the cob completely clean.I dont know about the fish i have never given it to my chickens,I do give my chickens ground up cat chow whenever they need extra protien like during the molt.If you allow them to free range they will eat whatever they want when they want.I have even had some of my free range chickens fight over a baby snake they found in the yard.

Answer 4

They love bugs like june bugs, beetles they like spiders mine love bugs they also like corn which you probally know and like u said feed from the store. They at least will try to eat almost anything so u could just see what they act like when they eat it but you know some of it could be very bad so that might not be very smart but bugs they LOVE!! Sorry thats all i can think of now.

Answer 5

Anything other than the basic layers mash/pellets should be given as a treat.

    *  Green leafy veg (spinach, kale, broccoli and lettuce. Greens help give good colour to the yolk)

    * Sweetcorn (I sometimes chop up corn on the cob into big chunks and pop them onto a skewer then drive them into the ground. This keeps the hens occupied and helps prevent boredom)

    * Fruit (grapes and oranges go down well)

    * Pasta and rice

    * Bread (white should be avoided)

    * Potatoes (must always be cooked and never given raw) and other root veg

    * Cake

    * Cheese

    * Porridge (particularly good in winter on those bitterly cold days)

    * Peanuts (another good treat to give in winter. I blitz mine up in the blender and add a bit of butter.)

    * Live mealworm (can be bought online)

Do NOT feed chickens meat or fish as this increases the risk of salmonella development in the eggs they lay.

Check out this site for info on keeping chickens, it's a great resource! http://www.henkeeping.co.uk

Answer 6

Chickens will basically eat anything. My chickens have eaten (usually because they take it from the dogs) raw and cooked chicken and other meats, and when an egg is dropped they will go after that too, shell and all.

Primarily we will feed a high quality laying mash during the laying months, and in the winter they get a higher fat content grain to help keep them full and warm. Our chickens have always had about a 6-8 year lifespan, sometimes more depending on the seasons.

We also let them roam free during the days, so bugs, foliage, and other found bits are always eaten. We will also give them over ripe veggies and fruits that we can't use, or healthy leftovers for them to pick at, again usually they just 'share' with the dogs and cats. This includes things like fish heads and guts from cleaned fish, and we never cook any meats that are given to the dogs unless we were eating them and they got stuck with the leftovers.

Answer 7

I have had chickens for many many years and I just turn them loose in my yard to free graze.

They will return to the coop by dusk. Faithfully!

If you are low on feed dinner scraps are fine too.

I have never given fish to chickens....I am afraid of the egg taste.

But thats just me.

Answer 8

Anything but rat poison chickens will eat anything.

Answer 9

you should order feed from McMurray Hatchery.  They have things like GroGel and QuikChik and BroilerBooster.  I work there and many many people order it and are quite satisfied.

Answer 10

Raw or cooked it don`t matter,and chickens will eat any thing...every thing you mentioned is fine..

Answer 11

I am not exactly sure why you are looking for so many things to feed them? Can you not get commercial feed? Or are you wanting to formulate your own because you believe there is something wrong with commercial feed?

Oddly enough, we know more about what chickens need to do well than we do about humans. Chickens grow fast enough to observe the results of poor feeding practices.

So, I'll just begin at the beginning.

Feed a commercial feed. Everything a chicken needs is already in there, and if it is a pellet, they will eat the correct proportion of all nutrients every time. If you feed a mixed grain, even a very good mixed grain with protein pellets added, they can pick and choose and not eat the parts they don't like. If it is just scratch, it is only 9% protein, and laying hens need 15% for egg production. If they don't get it, they could begin to eat feathers for a substitute. This isn't bad for the bird to eat them, but it isn't good for the bird she is taking them from. If you feed a mash, feed that falls to the ground is ignored, wasted, and if the ground is damp, it ferments. If your containers do not allow for waste, mash is fine.

If you are collecting all those things you listed because you think commercial feed is not good for chickens, reread the second paragraph. Commercial poultry farmers want the best food so they get a high-quality product at a good wait (not made of fat) and the best return for their investment. If you are afraid of things that might have been put into feed, don't be. Neither hormones nor antibiotics are permitted in commercial feed. If you have heard otherwise, that is propaganda. In fact, meat products are not even allowed anymore, which I am not terribly happy about, but, oh well. And, if you want organic feed, that is available now as well. Commercial pellets do not even require grit, but my birds pick that up outside in their pens, and sometimes I throw in handfuls of pigeon grit. You do not have the facilities, time, or knowledge (but you can look it up on the internet) to make a balanced mix that includes everything your birds need. Sure, they will survive on anything you give them, but is survival all you want for your birds? In the past, it was easy to feed birds on pasture. There were tons of bugs and spilled grain and maggots in rotting carcasses, the carcasses themselves, all manner of goodies in horse and cow manure. That is not always a guarantee these days of pesticides and better stable maintenance.

Are you asking because you can't get commercial feed? Then I guess you would have to order it, but the cost of shipping...... *gasps*

If you are asking because you want to feed your birds treats and lovely tidbits, then I would shy away from leaves. I do not know what leaves are poisonous. Snails are fun, but not a particular favorite of all chickens. Ducks love them. Mealworms are highly prized, crickets, all manner of non-poisonous bugs (google those and do some research). Mine are also fond of turkey carcasses left over from Thanksgiving, spareribs if there is any meat left on them, any scraps from dinner at all. A pan of burned ravioli? omg, they adored it! Cooked or raw, it doesn't matter. My birds also eat baby mice.

Answer 12

sorry cant help with the fish things or the persimmon leaves but i have 8 chickens and they eat pretty much anything we throw out as scraps, they seem to really like breads, crackers, and sometimes apples

Answer 13

My dad had chickens when I was a kid.Sometimes he would run out of food for them and my mom would make a pan of cornbread(using water not milk)and crumble it up and feed them.Just make sure you give them plenty of water.Also they can eat white bread from the bag,like pigeons.However the best thing is the corn you can get from the co-op,chickens should get chicken feed.GOD-bless