Happy Thanksgiving from Marion

What Can My Chickens Eat?

What Can I Feed My Chickens?

This is one of the questions I keep asking as we are beginning our chicken adventure.  I have done a lot of research using my friend Google.  Listed in this blog entry are the answer I have found to date.  I will continue to research and gain more information as this adventure continues.

After reading many articles here is the short answer, In addition to chicken food, and scratch: Almost anything.

As I searched I was looking for specifics so in the following you will find the long answers: Chickens love table scraps and can eat almost anything you eat and are a wonderful addition to a self-reliant, self-sufficient lifestyle taking care of table and garden scraps throughout the year. .

Chickens CAN EAT THESE FOODS.

·             Apples  Raw and Applesauce: (Apple seeds contain cyanide, but not in sufficient quantities to kill)

·             Asparagus  Raw or cooked:  Okay to feed, but not a favorite.


·             Bananas: High in potassium, a good treat (they usually will not eat the peel).

·             Beans:  Well-cooked only, never dry also, green beans are good.

·             Beets and beet greens: Go for it. 

·             Berries of all kinds:  A treat, especially strawberries.


·             Breads of all kinds: Good use for stale bread or rolls - feed starches in moderation.


·             Broccoli & Cauliflower: Good for chickens. 

·             Cabbage & Brussels Sprouts:  Whole head or scraps.

·             Carrots  Raw and Cooked:  They like carrot greens too.


·             Catfood: Wet and dry - in moderation.  

·             Cereal: Avoid highly sugared cereal such as Cocopuffs, etc.


·             Cheese:  Including cottage cheese, feed in moderation, fatty but a good source of protein and calcium


·             Cooked Chicken:  They may like it and it won't kill them, but... ummm SO wrong.


·             Corn on Cob and Canned: Raw and cooked. 

·             Crickets, meal worms, maggots, earth worms, etc: Can be bought as fishing bait, at pet-supply stores or you can raise them yourself. Great treats, provides protein and its fun to watch the chickens catch them.


·             Cucumbers: Let mature for yummy seeds and flesh, peels are good too.

·             Eggs:  Hard boiled,  cooked and scrambled are a good source of protein, and a favorite treat.  Feed cooked eggs only because you don't want your chickens to start eating their own raw eggs.


·             Eggplant: Fruit ok in moderation, avoid peels. Eggplants are in the nightshade family and contain Solanine. 

·             Fish / Seafood: Cooked flesh only. Shells and peelings are high in calcium and beneficial. 

·             Flowers:  Make sure they haven't been treated with pesticides, such as florist flowers might be. Marigolds, nasturtiums, pansies, etc... are all beneficial.


·             Fruit:  Pears, peaches, cherries, apples  


·             Grains:  Bulgar, flax, niger, wheat-berries, etc.  

·             Grapes: Seedless. Great fun - the cause of many entertaining "chicken keep away"games.


·             Grits:  Cooked "leftovers" only.  


·             Lawn Clippings: Only if it's not fertilized and not treated with chemicals or pesticides. 

·             Lettuce / Kale: Any leafy greens, spinach collards, chickweed included.  A big treat, depending on how much other greenery they have access to.

·             Meat scraps of any kind:  Not too fatty.  In moderation, a good source of protein


·             Melon:  Cantaloupe, etc...both seeds and flesh are good chicken treats.


·             Milk: Plain, raw or slightly sour - good for chickens and they love it.

·             Oatmeal  Raw or cooked:  Cooked makes a nice warm treat on a cold winter day - high in protein.

·             Pasta / Macaroni:  Cooked spaghetti, etc, a favorite next to live bugs, but does not contain much nutrition.
 

·             Peas:  Peas and pea tendrils and flowers.

·             Peppers: Don't really like them but won't hurt them. 

·             Pomegranates:  Raw, seeds are a big treat. 

·             Popcorn: Popped, no butter, no salt. Seeds, just like any other dried corn, will be fairly indigestible unless you grind it a bit. 

·             Potatoes / Sweet Potatoes / Yams: Cooked - avoid green parts of peels!  Starchy, not much nutrition.

·             Pumpkins / Winter Squash:  Raw or cooked. Both seeds and flesh are a nutritious treat.


·             Raisins: Go for it.  


·             Rice: Cooked only, pilaf mixes are okay too, plain white rice has very little nutrition.


·             Sprouts: Wheat and oat sprouts are great! Good for greens in mid-winter.


·             Summer Squash:  Yellow squash and zucchini, yellow squash not a huge favorite, but okay to feed.

·             Sunflower Seeds:  Sunflower seeds with the shell still on is fine to feed, as well as with the shell off. A good treat, helps hens lay eggs and grow healthy feathers.


·             Tomatos:  Raw and or cooked.  
Avoid feeding the plants.

·             Turnips: Cooked. Not a huge favorite but not harmful.


·             Watermelon:  Served cold, it can keep chickens cool and hydrated during hot summers.  Seeds and flesh are both okay to feed. They will peck a rind clean then add rind to compost pile.

·             Yogurt  Plain or Flavored: A big favorite and good for their digestive systems. Plain is better and has less sugar than flavored yogurt.

Again, meat is OK. Chickens are omnivores and in the wild they will eat mice, snakes, frogs, lizards and dead carcasses (like eagles, vultures, hawks and ravens do).   It does not make them peck at each other, they will not pick up disease in that manner. Too many chickens in a small area makes them peck at each other.


Some people say no Ham - because of the salt. Ham is ok in very small amounts.



Foods to AVOID FEEDING Chickens:

·             Raw green potatoes and green potato peels: Toxic substance called Solanine.
 While not fatal they aren't "good" for chickens. Many people feed green potato peels in small amounts. Cooked potatoes that had green peels should be fine, cooking the potatoes reduces toxicity. 

·             Rhubarb leaves: are poisonous to almost everything to some extent with  oxalic acid, the fruit stalks contain low levels of the toxin but in small amounts should be fine. While munching on a few leaves may not kill them, it's certainly not good for them. The effects of oxalic acid are very well documented. 

·             Anything super salty:  Too much salt can overload their little kidneys - remember in moderation.

·             Citrus Peels: Supposedly they interfere with calcium absorption. , But it is a moot point as they really won't eat them anyways.

·             
Dried or Undercooked Beans: Contains a poison called Hemagglutinin which is toxic to birds.
 Hemegglutinin is found in Lectin - which is common in legumes (specially soybeans and kidney beans). Cooking the beans reduces the the toxicity. 

·             Avocado Skin and Pit: Low levels of a toxin called Persin. They are NOT fatal.

·             Candy, Chocolate, Sugar:  Again while not fatal, it's bad for their systems (as most processed foods are to people), and chocolate can be poisonous to most pets.

·             Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs:  Their systems can't clear the toxins. 

Sad Day on September 1, 2014

On September first Ethel lost her fight to stay alive. We will miss her.

Thanks to Snow White and Marion

Tonight's dinner is compliments of two of our chickens.

Marion's First Egg

Today at 23 weeks and 6 days old Marion laid her first egg. 

First Egg Arrives

Snow White or Janeway brings the first egg to camp.

Welcome the Newest Members of Camp Clucks-a-Lot

 Welcome Snow White and Janeway

Sad Day At Camp Clucks-a-Lot

Today we had to say goodbye to Padme. The ladies all were fine at my morning visit. When I went our for the afternoon the ladies were all standing  around making weird noises. It was then that I notice Padme laying on the ground in a strange position. Sometime between 8:30 am  and 1:00pm She had died. There were no signs of the other chickens picking on her. She now lays to rest in the Yahr pet cemetery.

Funny Chickens

Saw this tonight and had to share.

Millennium Fowl-can July 20 2014

The Millennium Fowl-can returning to Camp Clucks-A-Lot

The Continuing Question - Why did the Chicken cross the road

Today at Camp

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

Why'd the chicken cross the road? (To prove to the possum that it CAN be done!)

Tuesday night dinner

The ladies enjoying their first Sunflower from our garden

They certainly knew what to do with this.

The Ladies enjoying my Father's Day GIft

They are such chickens.

Tuesday afternoon feeding time

Enjoying the fresh food

14 weeks old

Padme and Fancy Panys

Ethel

Thought for the day

Padme Taking out One Bug at a Time

A great night at Camp Clucks-A-Lot

 

Fancy Pants and Marion - 11 weeks and 2 days

Ethel and Lucy - 11 weeks and 3 days

Padme - 11 weeks and 2 days

Chicken Meets Phone

Another peaceful night at camp

Memorial Day Celebration

Happy Memorial Day

Thanks to the many men and women who have served and are serving now so we can enjoy our freedom. 

God Bless America

Goodbye Weekend

The ladies are all checked in for the night as they say good bye to the weekend.

Things I Have Learned so Far

In my continuing research about raising chickens this is what I have learned so far.

Interior floor space: A minimum of 4 square feet per chicken of interior floor space. This doesn't count the nesting boxes.

Interior air space: Chickens need to roost at least 30 inches up off of the ground, and have head space to do that comfortably.

Roosts: They recommend 6 inches per hen. Rounded roosts are the best because hens have special ligaments in their legs that lock in place when they sleep. This is how they can sleep without falling off the perch. To do this, they need to be on a round roost. It is best to have roosts at varying heights which helps with flock dynamics.

Windows: Sunlight is essential in a coop. Hens have very poor night vision. Even if it’s daylight outside, if it’s dark in the coop, your chickens won’t get moving, eating, or laying their eggs if they can’t see to hop off of the roost. Also, sunshine is a natural sanitizer. And, the hens appreciate a sunny spot on a damp and cold day to sit in. Finally, windows allow you to look in, and sometimes you need to know what’s going on in the henhouse!

Ventilation: Soffits in the eaves are important. Also Windows that open when it is hot are a necessity. Another option is a cupola because it is very effective in pulling damp air up and out.

Nesting boxes: Plan on 2 or 3 for seven or fewer hens. For a large flock have 1 box for every 5 birds. These can be homemade or purchased. Mine are built on the outside of the coop.

Exterior space or Run space: Should have at least 8 square feet per bird for the fenced run.

Flooring: You can have anything from dirt to wood to concrete. If you do have a dirt floor, then make sure that you can protect your hens from digging predators with underground fencing. If you have wood, you can add a sheet of inexpensive vinyl to keep it from absorbing moisture and to ease cleaning.