What do I feed my chickens?

[Chicken Newbie07]

I have heard pellets are EXTREMELY hard for chickens to digest and they have to eat more bc less of their food is being absorbed

I don’t think they are hard to digest because I’ve watch them peck at the pellets and break the up into smaller pieces. I do know that my chickens do not like layer pellets for some reason. They enjoy the rabbit pellets .

 

[Chicken Newbie07]

That would make sense. Aren't all of those commercial meat company's tested for serious illnesses? I wouldn't worry as much with meat from a healthy bird.

Yes, feeding them your leftover chicken here and there is not harmful. Just don’t make it a daily thing. Anyways, most of us don’t eat chicken every single day so it’s kinda naturally an occasional treat.

 

[AltonaAcres]

No, what I meant is they coat the pellets in something to keep them in the pelleted shape, and that coating makes it hard for them to digest. Also, I really wouldn't recommend feeding rabbit pellets. Maybe a few as a treat, but think about it, chickens don't gorge themselves on timothy or alfalfa, and that's what the pellets are made from. They are grazing animals, they are foragers. They just peck and bugs and small stones and only nibble at plant matter.

 

[Chicken Newbie07]

Because they'll eat what they like, not what they need by being picky. Pellets and crumbles have all the food (or most of it) varied in each pellet so they can't be picky

I feel like those little raptors we love so much are smarter than we sometimes think. They are picky at times but at the end of the day they are animals first before beloved pets, and their instincts are always there. They eat what they need and yes some of what they like. Pellets, crumble or a combo of both is fine in my opinion, I just wanted to share that chickens are happier when fed a variety of foods.

 

[NatJ]

No, what I meant is they coat the pellets in something to keep them in the pelleted shape, and that coating makes it hard for them to digest.

Go drop a few pellets in water and see what happens. Any time I have done that, the pellets get soggy and fall apart really fast. It might differ by manufacturer, or even by what country or continent, but I've seen it happen with several brands in the US over quite a few years' time.

 

[Kiki]

Why do you feel crumble is better ?

They for sure are getting a balanced complete diet...unlike whats happening to your birds (most likely) who get to pick and choose.

 

[Kiki]

Yeah, my parents told me I couldn't feed them chicken, because it would possibly spread genetic diseases. They both went to collage for that kind of thing so I trust them.

Can you find out what your parents degrees are in please.

 

[The Happster]

So what protein content does your chicken feed have? Because none of those ingredients seem to have a very high protein content. Are you specifically measuring it or just chucking it in?

It may feel good feeding them a mixed feed, but I won't be doing that without thorough research.

They for sure are getting a balanced complete diet...unlike whats happening to your birds (most likely) who get to pick and choose.

I even had a problem with certain chick feed brands. The chicks would peck out their favourite bits. They were ground pretty small.
Same thing with rabbits. Same thing with dogs.
These animals aren't stupid.

 

[NatJ]

Yeah, my parents told me I couldn't feed them chicken, because it would possibly spread genetic diseases. They both went to collage for that kind of thing so I trust them.

Are they able to name specific diseases for us? Or at least similar ones from other animal species?

Did they state whether it was a concern even with cooked chicken, or only with raw chicken?

If there is a disease that can be spread through feeding chicken to chickens, I definitely want to learn about it, so I can recognize it if I ever meet it. And I know there are legitimate concerns with cattle and sheep.

 

[cmom]

That's cool, they look really dark, guess I'm used to the production reds lol.

Yes, they are pure (heritage) Rhode Island Reds. Some males I hatched out.