What your chickens can and can't eat!

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Why does dry rice say no with no explanation? Many people feed their chickens dry rice with no issue. I'm not saying it should be the main food source, but I also don't see what the difference between cooked and "raw" would be. And it's fine to give chickens cooked rice in moderation.

 

[saysfaa]

...

6. Popcorn, unpopped: It's mentioned as a "Yes," but it might be better to avoid giving unpopped popcorn to prevent any potential choking hazards.
...

Well....
Unpopped popcorn kernals are about 4 to 5 mm in thickness. Grit for layers is about 3/16" to 5/16"; 4/16 is 6.35mm.

 

[Chikenshiken]

Why does dry rice say no with no explanation? Many people feed their chickens dry rice with no issue. I'm not saying it should be the main food source, but I also don't see what the difference between cooked and "raw" would be. And it's fine to give chickens cooked rice in moderation.

I’m Filipino and it’s pretty customary to give your chickens dry rice as a treat. I don’t personally but my chickens LOVE cooked rice as a little snack if I have any leftover

 

[SiDaStuff]

Well....
Unpopped popcorn kernals are about 4 to 5 mm in thickness. Grit for layers is about 3/16" to 5/16"; 4/16 is 6.35mm.

True, but it all depends on the type and bulk size.

 

[SiDaStuff]

This is a myth. Look it up.

It always depends on the type of rice and chicken.

 

[casportpony]

It always depends on the type of rice and chicken.

Source, please.

 

[casportpony]

Why does dry rice say no with no explanation? Many people feed their chickens dry rice with no issue. I'm not saying it should be the main food source, but I also don't see what the difference between cooked and "raw" would be. And it's fine to give chickens cooked rice in moderation.

It's an urban legend that started in the 80s.

"It's a myth. There is no reason why birds, including small songbirds, can't eat rice," said Ned Johnson, a professor of biology at Berkeley who lectures frequently on the food and feeding of birds."
Source:
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/against-the-grain/

 

[Nym]

I soak my dried leftover bread and pizza crust in milk and sprinkle sunflower seeds and chopped nuts on top as well as chopped scraps like kale and cauliflower, I add apple cores and over ripe bananas.
They love that platter of goodies.

My grandmother kept a container on the sink for all kitchen scraps - tea leaves, peelings, breads, egg shells ... god only knows what else! At the end of the day pop and I would have to fight those huge leghorns off to get it in their yard! lol

 

[BigBlueHen53]

It is in a free ranging broody hen.

Sadness! I don't have broody hens.

 

[Nym]

Once upon a time, chickens were wild creatures, running around in their native habitat and scratching and foraging for food. So before they could pop down to the shop and buy themselves some lay mash, what on earth did the wild chickens eat for food?




What on earth do you mean - ‘wild chicken’?

Firstly, what do we mean by ‘wild chicken’? Well, one of the first recognisable breeds of wild chicken was the ‘Jungle Fowl’. This breed is pretty much the foundation of all chicken breeds we know and love today! The Jungle Fowl can still be found in the wild in places like Indonesia, India and Southeast Asia. You can also find them in Australia, however they are not running loose - many people continue to breed them for their spectacular colours. So when we refer to the ‘wild chickens’ that make up our domesticated chickens ancestors, think of the Jungle Fowl!

Many chicken keepers ask this question because they want to replicate the chickens natural diet rather than give them commercial feed. Well, before the chickens were fed their daily scraps at 5pm from their keepers, their diet was made up of a number of different food sources. Well, if you’re interested in bringing your chickens diet back to that of their fore bearers (within reason) and finding out what chickens eat in the wild, here’s a guide to the food of the fowls of old!

Crunchy, juicy, tasty insects! A smorgasbord for wild chickens

Insects found from foraging were the staple of the wild chickens diet. Termites, ants, even grasshoppers are rich in protein and nutrients, and very tasty for our little chickens! Another delicious treat that a scratching, foraging chicken would also come across is a big, fat, juicy worm! Mmm...worms are another great source of protein for active chickens, to help keep them healthy.

Should I still feed these to my chickens?

Modern domesticated chickens that free range still enjoy the tasty benefits of insects, as they peck them up off the ground and out of our precious garden beds. A pest-free garden is quite the benefit for the avid gardener! Chickens can also enjoy tasty meal worms as a treat, but give it to them in small quantities as too much protein is not good for them. Can you imagine if the wild chickens got given a handful of meal worms without working for it? They would have gone, well, wild!

Wild chickens got their leafy green fix from natures plants

Plenty more here!

A new origin story for domesticated chickens starts in rice fields 3,500 years ago​

Two studies lay out how the birds went from wild fowl in Southeast Asia to the dinner plate

The new story begins in Southeast Asian rice fields. The earliest known chicken remains come from Ban Non Wat, a dry rice–farming site in central Thailand that roughly dates to between 1650 B.C. and 1250 B.C. Dry rice farmers plant the crop on upland soil soaked by seasonal rains rather than in flooded fields or paddies. That would have made rice grains at Ban Non Wat fair game for avian ancestors of chickens.


These fields attracted hungry wild birds called red jungle fowl. Red jungle fowl increasingly fed on rice grains, and probably grains of another cereal crop called millet, grown by regional farmers, Peters’ group speculates. A cultivated familiarity with people launched chicken domestication by around 3,500 years ago, the researchers say.

Plenty more history at Science News