Just like your furry family members your feathered family members enjoy getting treats too! But too many treats can reduce egg production, make them fat and may lead to other health problems.
The general rule for how much is too much equates to giving your chickens no more than 10% of their diet. That is roughly about a tablespoon or less of treats per day per chicken. If you let your hens out daily than you usually do not need to top them up with treats every day.
I have a mobile coop and toss in a few scraps when I can not let the hens out to free range in the afternoon, when it has been a rainy day or simply as a random surprise just before bed time!
Below is a basic guide of what is good and not good for your chickens.
GOOD TREATS:
| VEGETABLES | FRUIT | HERBS & FLOWERS | PROTEINS | GRAINS & SEEDS |
| Amaranth | Apple | Basil | Cheese | Bread |
| Beans | Banana | Cat mint | Cottage cheese | Cereal |
| Beetroot | Blueberry | Clover | Eggs (scrambled/boiled)** | Chia seeds |
| Broccoli | Cherry | Coriander | Fish | Pasta (cooked) |
| Cabbage | Cucumber | Garlic | Peanut Butter (unsalted) | Noodles (cooked) |
| Capsicum | Grapes | Lavender | Red meat off cuts | Pecans |
| Carrots | Kiwi | Marigolds | Yoghurt | Pumpkin seed |
| Cauliflower | Mango | Mint | Quinoa | |
| Celery | Melon | Nasturtiums | Rice (cooked) | |
| Corn | Peaches | Oregano | Rockmelon Seed | |
| Cucumber | Pineapple | Pansies | Rolled oats (with warm water) | |
| Kale | Plums | Parsley | Sunflower seeds | |
| Lettuce | Pomegranate | Rocket | Walnuts | |
| Pears | Rockmelon | Sage | ||
| Pumpkin | Strawberry | Thyme | ||
| Silverbeet | Tomato | |||
| Spinach | Watermelon | |||
| Sprouts | ||||
| Squash | ||||
| Sweet potato | ||||
| Zucchini |
** Make sure the eggs are not raw, you do not want them getting the taste for their own eggs!
Hot tip: Keep your egg shells, crush them up and bake in the oven for a calcium rich treat.
Warm Pasta On A Winters Day!
BAD TREATS:
| Anything rotten or mouldy |
| Apple seeds |
| Apricot pits and leaves |
| Avocado skins and pits |
| Candy |
| Chocolate |
| Citrus |
| Coffee grounds |
| Dry beans |
| Egg plant |
| Junk food |
| Peanuts (salted) |
| Pickles |
| Potato skins (raw or green) |
| Raw or dried beans |
| Rhubarb |
| Salt (inc salty foods) |
| Tomato & pototo plants |
If you know of any thing else good or bad we would LOVE to know! Please tell us in our comments section.
If Your Not Sure If Something Is Safe…Have A “Sticky Beak” On Reputable Chicken Forums, Websites or Facebook Group. If In Doubt Go Without!
Author Bio: Nikki is pack leader at Pressplay Pets, a blog for the modern age pet parent interested in health & care, news, reviews & personal accounts of unconditional love & at times heartfelt pain of pet parenting. She is also proud mum to cute and cheeky Papillons ‘Amber’ and ‘Indy’!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By: Pressplay Pets
Title: What Treats Are Good & Bad For Chickens?
Sourced From: pressplaypets.com/what-treats-are-good-bad-for-chickens/
Published Date: Fri, 13 May 2022 06:15:08 +0000
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