Selfsufficientish.com

Is there anything that chickens can't or shouldn't eat? I know they are omnivorous and that they shouldn't be given raw or perhaps cooked meat but is there anything else that they shouldn't be given We want them to be as organic as possible and have access to organic pellets from a local farmer who buys it by the ton. (She let's us have a 20kg bag for a tenner) At the moment they seem happy enough demolishing the weeds and plants in the run and no doubt snaffling a few bugs on the way. I'm experimenting to find out if there is anything that they go mad for so I can use it as a bribe if (when) they get out or are allowed in the garden.

Pete

I posted a thread somewhere recently about what treats you can give them.

Mine get extra rice and pasta (they particularly love spaghetti) and occasionally other scraps I am reluctant to feed them meat (certainly never uncooked) they have had some mince... but they also go mad for slugs and have been chomping on ground elder these last few days. I am keen on getting them to eat as much vegetation and bugs as possible so I feed them rations of layers pellets by hand 4 times a day.

If I let them run around the garden I make sure that it is just before they are due a feed, they peck around and scratch quite happily and when I want them back in the run I call them over (with cluck, cluck noises) and then chuck food into the run and they chase it in. I have been trying to train them by always making cluck, cluck noises when I feed them (Pavlov's dog theory... do you think Pavlov had chickens?)

Hope that helps, but I await other peoples answers.


Here is the other thread http://www.selfsufficientish.com/forum/ ... 14&t=13672

Ann I'm just trying to picture you in the garden calling out "cluck cluck bock bock bwark". I just call out "chickies" or "duckies", but really they don't need encouragement because their treats always come in a little red plastic bowl so they long ago associated that with food and come running!

Millymollymandy wrote:Ann I'm just trying to picture you in the garden calling out "cluck cluck bock bock bwark". I just call out "chickies" or "duckies", but really they don't need encouragement because their treats always come in a little red plastic bowl so they long ago associated that with food and come running!

No... a clucking noise like you might do for a cat... I don't pretend I am a chicken . My girls do tend to be at the opposite end of the garden when I want them to go in, especially if it is raining so I do cluck quite loudly and shout "Girlies" Yet when I want to move the run or hang up the washing, right under my feet is the place to be I think they have been taking lessons from the cat

Oh, just wait until you are turning compost. They love to help you do that!

Hi ya
I never give mine any meat cooked or raw.
If you want a nice treat for them, if you have any cooked veg left over from a sunday dinner give it the chickens, they love anything from green beans to carrots. I also give mine bread, not all of them are into bread but most go crazy for it. Most of the time my chickens are digging around in the horse poo, sounds gross but its full of worms.

if it is any help i give mine any left veg scraps/pasta / bread occasionaly spud pealings(cooked) be warned green potatoes ans potatoe plants are posonous to chucks . the only meat they get is worms or slugs and anything else they catch
i have found that they dont like peppers

Ooooh, another quick question about what to feed chickens. I have the chicken snack webpage bookmarked but it doesn't mention cauliflower leaves - just the cauliflower heads themselves. Is it safe to give the left over leaves to the girls? Seems a shame to compost it when they could have fun ripping it apart.... ?

I give mine cauliflower leaves and it doesn't seem to do them any harm. Mine love any greens, especially cabbage that is covered in caterpillars

Zoe

Oh lovely. I'll save the leaves for them and chuck them in in the morning. Do you cut them into little bits or can I just leave them in a big lump (I sort of chopped all the cauliflower heads away as I needed them, so the leaves are still in a big kind of bowl shape)?

we give our "ladies" pasta now and then ,they loved the coconut my bro won from the local fete aswell
ragarding meat chickens are omnivours (sp) and can cope with slugs and snails but try not to actually give them meat having said that mine chased the dog away from a lamb bone the other day and (honestly ) tried to drag it across the garden

fresh weeds and worms are our girls' favourites... but they won't touch spinach... its ace to watch when you're digging and come across a worm. Chuck it towards them. You can see them calculating - do I peck this challenger for the worm and risk losing it to another hen or just run for it? great entertainment for all concerned.

Buttercups, daffs & tulips, ivy, foxgloves, rhododendrons, rhubarb and many other ordeinary garden plants are all potentally poisonous to chickens but we have all of these and have never had any trouble. We even have two huge old Laburnham trees and I was worried that they might eat the seeds but they just ignore them.

Our chickens favourite treats are baked beans, pasta, sweetcorn and any bacon rinds or toast left by our guests.