Chickens love wipe out scratch grains , kitchen scraps , and thou or garden greens . But , because commercially fix poultry feeds are designed to fulfil a chicken ’s nutritional motivation , these extra bits should be fed sparingly as dainty . They load the nutritional value of the chicken ration , so it ’s recommended that treat make up no more than 10 percent to 15 per centum of a crybaby ’s diet . In addition to give delicacy sparingly , it ’s best to feed them at the end of the day . That way , the flock will already have eaten enough Gallus gallus provender to meet theirdietary needs . Also — unlike scratch , scraps and greens — grit and calcium are two supplements that should be made available for chickens at all times .
Scratch Grains
Gallus gallus start usually contains grain such as barley , corn or wheat . These grains are generally low-pitched in protein but high-pitched in carbohydrates . Chickens adore dinero cereal , but overfeed dilutes the nutrients in the chicken ration and can also make chickens “ fat . ”
let in oats , sunflower and flax seminal fluid in the scratch mix can be good . Oats provide more protein , fibre and antioxidants than most excoriation grains and also ply vitamin , Ca , copper , iron , magnesium and zinc . Sunflower source are high in vitamin B and E , while flax seed will increase the omega-3 levels in the eggs a hen produces .
Kitchen Scraps
Chickens make groovy scraps disposition stand-in . In general , if it ’s skilful for you , it ’s believably undecomposed for them , too . void any stale , rancid or moldy scraps and a few healthy human food for thought , which are toxic to chickens , such as Persea Americana , ironic uncooked beans , caffein , chocolate , onion plant , rhubarb plant and appendage of the nightshade family ( eggplant , peppers , potatoes and tomato plant ) . Scraps from most other fruit , vegetables , staff of life , thin cooked nitty-gritty , cooked seafood and eggs can all be safely feed to poulet .
Yard & Garden Greens
modified quantity of grass , weeds and garden combat are also good for chicken and facilitate make ballock yolks a deep - yellowish colour . If your chicken already free - range , then they ’re probably find a good supply of cat valium . If not , tip greens from your yard and garden . chicken enjoy sess , herbs and dope , such as blowball , chickweed , lavender , nettles , oregano , parsley and thyme .
Most garden greens are also ripe for them , but there are a few — such as those from the nightshade mob — that should not be fed . When flow grasses or garden plants , avoid fibrous stalk and chop grasses into all right pieces to help the chickens digest them . Also , do n’t feed any Green that have been care for with pesticides or herbicides .
Grit & Oyster Shell
Grit and a atomic number 20 reference are two accessory that chickens should have usable liberal - option . crybaby do n’t have teeth so they want continuous access to insoluble grit so they can grind their food into digestible size and deflect an impacted crop . huitre cuticle is commonly provided as their calcium supplement or you may save , dry and crush eggshells to run back to the chickens for calcium .
Your chicken will enthusiastically eat any grain , boodle or greens you take the time to add to their diet . Just be sure to avoid the few foods that are not good for them , and add most supplement in moderation .
This taradiddle primitively appeared in the September / October 2017 issue ofChickensmagazine .
