What scraps do you feed your chickens?

[jlmissouri]

I got some chickens this spring, anyway I am wondering what do your chickens eat scrap wise? I have 12 chickens: 2 brown leghorns, 6 Rhode Island Reds, and 4 fry pan specials. They are about a month or so old. They are starting to get there feathers in. There in the ugly stage. I figured I could feed them a lot of table scraps, but they don't seem to be interested. Are they too young? I thought I remembered my chickens eating scraps when I was younger. Thanks,

[bee_pipes]

We wind up composting most stuff. I am afraid to give the chickens anything we grow - don't want them to acquire tastes that could cause a problem ;D

They pretty much run free most of the day, and are doing fine grazing on plants and bugs. Their consumption of feed has dropped since spring started, and the eggs have improved in taste with better grazing. We have a fence around the garden to keep them out, and so far that is working.

Regards,
Pat

[calliel]

I feed my hens old bread, fruit, celery, broccoli, lettuce, cooked rice, oatmeal - uncooked, sunflower seeds (I just threw in a entire flower head last year) melons and the rinds, old frozen corn (uncooked)

What they don't like
carrots, onions, spinach, banana peels, citrus, sugar

It pretty much varies according to how hungry they are.

[lost1]

:D :D Mine eat everything that I won't or can't.

[jlmissouri]

Thanks for your input, I guess they need to just grow a little before I try to feed them scraps.

[rideaway]

Also, if you cook some of the stuff that they don't like, like the carrots and stuff, and make it mushy, they'll like it better.

[Ernie]

Is there anything, other than meat, that I SHOULDN'T feed to my chickens?

[AlchemyAcres]

Why not meat scraps also?

I know there are things chickens won't eat. *I have heard that maybe potatoe peels are not good for them - anyone ever heard that?

Heck, they'll scarf down darn near anything, especially if it's chopped up....meats included.

It's alleged that the solanine in raw potato peelings (especially greenish ones) may kill them, but chickens don't much care for unchopped raw peelings anyway. I've tossed out lotsa raw peelings over the years and it's never seemed to bother them. Cooked peelings are considered perfectly safe...most chickens like to pick at them.


~Martin

[crazymomma]

Mine eat lots of starchy stuff- bread, noodles, etc. They don't seem to like many veggies or salad but like meat (I don't feed them poultry, but they like left over beef scraps my toddler wastes.)

[turtlehead]

Mine eat the scraps the dogs or rabbits don't get.

Leftover pasta and rice are favorites.
Extra eggs (scrambled).
in the fall, lots of apple cores when I'm making apple butter and applesauce (the rabbits get the peels).
Summer squash that get too big (raw).
Winter squash (cooked).
Sunflower heads after they've dried out.
Plus they free range and eat a lot of grass, bugs, and other greens.