Feeding table scraps

[happyhencamper]

I have read an article posted about table scraps twice. I believe it was originally posted the first time in 2018.

I am not good with social media and don’t know how to show the link here like others do for the article

I also thought if I quoted things in the thread, I could post it here. Still learning.


I have questions based on some information/articles I have read previously.
First: I have had some yeast issues lately. Wondering if feeding products with yeast in it such as bread and noodles, contributes to the overgrowth of yeast?


2 How about sugar in things like leftover pastries, etc.? Stale items

3 I read an article about the amount of salt so a lot of leftovers would have salt.

4 some people say to feed the items large. But I also read an article about making the things in small pieces such as grapes. Because the birds in the bottom of the pecking order may quickly pull in items that are too large so that they get some of the food. In the past, I was feeding larger pieces for them to peck at. They will grab a large piece take it to a corner and take smaller pieces off. What are your thoughts on this?

I also read no raisins. If nuts are smashed or put in the food processor. Is it still not a good idea to feed nuts?

 

[happyhencamper]

Also, not sure if I am to post as a thread or post a new post when I have questions.

 

[DotToDot]

Greens and small scraps of meat are okay for them. Try to keep anything else (carbs, sugar, coffee, sweets, etc) to a minimum. Like twice a week. Anything that they can get in the backyard they can have.

 

[5Australorpasaures]

Greens and small scraps of meat are okay for them. Try to keep anything else (carbs, sugar, coffee, sweets, etc) to a minimum. Like twice a week. Anything that they can get in the backyard they can have.

I've never given the birds coffee or sugar as they all were zoomie enough.

 

[Kiki]

Don't.

Don't feed table scraps.

Feed your birds a balanced diet and they will do better than they would if you fed them daily treats including table scraps.


Table scraps take away from the bird getting a balanced diet. Table scraps are a treat.

The general rule of thumb is that treats should not be more than 10% of their diet.

10% of their daily diet amounts to a tiny amount... A tablespoon worth.

If you are feeding table scraps more than a tablespoon worth per bird, you are overfeeding treats.

 

[saysfaa]

I have read an article posted about table scraps twice. I believe it was originally posted the first time in 2018.

I am not good with social media and don’t know how to show the link here like others do for the article

It is okay to just ask like you did here.

If you want to show a link, one way to do it is to copy the address and paste it in the message. Another way is to click on the symbol I circled in blue in the picture. It will open a window with two boxes in it. Then paste the address in the upper box and type a name or description in the lower box

I also thought if I quoted things in the thread, I could post it here. Still learning.


I have questions based on some information/articles I have read previously.
First: I have had some yeast issues lately. Wondering if feeding products with yeast in it such as bread and noodles, contributes to the overgrowth of yeast?

The chickens are having yeast issues? Or people are? I don't know about yeast in chickens. For people, my understanding is that it isn't the yeast in the diet that contributes to the problem; it is either something upset the bacteria/yeast balance in the gut (antibiotics or being sick for example) or too much the sugar in diet that contributes to the problem. Of course, many foods made with yeast have a lot of sugar in them.

2 How about sugar in things like leftover pastries, etc.? Stale items

Sugar is no t good for chickens.

3 I read an article about the amount of salt so a lot of leftovers would have salt.

Salty foods are also not good for chickens. They need a little salt but the amounts in many foods people eat are far to much.

4 some people say to feed the items large. But I also read an article about making the things in small pieces such as grapes....What are your thoughts on this?

Chickens are very good at knowing how big of a thing they can swallow. They is no need to worry about size - except tough, stringy type things like long grass.

I also read no raisins. If nuts are smashed or put in the food processor. Is it still not a good idea to feed nuts?

Did it say why not raisins?
I hadn't heard that but suspect they are quite high in sugar.
Nuts tend to be pretty high in fat for chickens so also best as not more than small amounts - remembering that "small amounts" for a chicken are much smaller than small amounts for a person.

 

[Perris]

I have read an article posted about table scraps twice. I believe it was originally posted the first time in 2018.

I am not good with social media and don’t know how to show the link here like others do for the article

I also thought if I quoted things in the thread, I could post it here. Still learning.


I have questions based on some information/articles I have read previously.
First: I have had some yeast issues lately. Wondering if feeding products with yeast in it such as bread and noodles, contributes to the overgrowth of yeast?


2 How about sugar in things like leftover pastries, etc.? Stale items

3 I read an article about the amount of salt so a lot of leftovers would have salt.

4 some people say to feed the items large. But I also read an article about making the things in small pieces such as grapes. Because the birds in the bottom of the pecking order may quickly pull in items that are too large so that they get some of the food. In the past, I was feeding larger pieces for them to peck at. They will grab a large piece take it to a corner and take smaller pieces off. What are your thoughts on this?

I also read no raisins. If nuts are smashed or put in the food processor. Is it still not a good idea to feed nuts?

I am not surprised by your queries; there is a lot of conflicting information online for people to read and be misled or confused by.

If you want an authoritative answer to your question about feeding former foods (table scraps), try this:

Review: Insects and former foodstuffs for upgrading food waste biomasses/streams to feed ingredients for farm animals Animal 2019
L. Pinotti1† , C. Giromini1 , M. Ottoboni1 , M. Tretola1 and D. Marchis2 1 Department of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety, University of Milan, Milan 20134, Italy; 2 Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1751731118003622

Generally you can rely on properly published research, that is, an academic paper that has been repeatedly quality checked in the process of publication in an academic journal. Many of them are freely available online these days, including the journal Poultry Science. It may be heavy reading, but in such papers every significant claim is supported by a reference to another paper where the case for that is made. Opinions, on the other hand, are just someone saying what they think, without any supporting evidence.

 

[Shadrach]

This is a complicated topic partly because there are so many variations in keeping circumstances and foodstuffs.
In an ideal world chickens would only exist in the environments that can support their nutrient needs through forage. It has been shown in various studies that chickens are quite adept at choosing foodstuffs that provide them with the nutrient balance they need to be healthy.
However, most chickens, this includes those kept in commercial production conditions, don't have access to a wide enough range of forage, or the opportunities to forage at will.
Lots of research and lots of money was put into discovering what proteins, vitamins and minerals etc a chicken needs in order to survive. The bulk of this research was funded by the large egg and meat producers and given the whole idea of such concerns is to make a profit, the cheapest way of providing these essential nutrients was established and that is what one gets when one buys commercial feed.
There is a further catch. Because hens in particular are usually only kept while their egg laying potential is at maximum, from point of lay to around eighteen months old, our knowledge of what happens to a chickens health in later years has not been researched.
Chickens are much like humans in being omniverous creatures and, much like humans, what one chicken can eat without long term ill effects, may not be the case for another chicken.

There are many ways to make up the chemicals required to make the proteins, vitamins, minerals etc that we and chickens need to remain healthy and for chickens, productive. Commercial feed is one proven method, but looking world wide it is apparent that chickens survive in many places without any commercial feed.

I often feel like answering questions on chicken nutrition with this reply to the keeper. if you the keeper are overweight, unfit and suffering from many of the diet related health problems that modern humans do then you are probably not the person to be controlling the diet of another creature. Harsh perhaps but possibly not far off the mark.

1) So, bread, it's okay but commercial bread has too much salt and sugar and often preservatives in it to be healthy, so a small amount is okay for chickens. I would certainly be looking at less than 10% of the diet when it comes to bread.

2) Sugar and pastries never. They are junk food. They cause humans health problems and will do the same for chickens.

3) Salt is another problem for humans and also for chickens. We need a tiny amount and chickens need even less bacause they don't sweat.

But I also read an article about making the things in small pieces such as grapes. Because the birds in the bottom of the pecking order may quickly pull in items that are too large so that they get some of the food.

This in general is good advice if one keeps a contained group of chickens of mixed ages. You can also get around this problem of snatch and grab by how one feeds the chickens but in general I am not in favour of throwing a large piece/pieces of anything and letting the chickens fight over it. Chop everything and spread it over a wide area or feed a bit to the chickens one at a time.