What Table Scraps Can I Feed Chickens
The question of “What table scraps can I feed chickens?” is an important one to address. Many people think that chickens should only have a limited diet consisting of grass and feed; this is not actually the case. The fact is that chickens are pretty resilient animals and are not picky about what they eat. Chickens living on a farm do not only eat grass and feed but will also eat weeds, small bugs and many other things as well. While there are some table scraps that are unsafe for chickens to eat, they can in fact eat most of your table scraps.
One should hold off on feeding chickens meal scraps until they are three or four months old. A person raising chickens should not only feed them with table scraps; the chickens will still need to eat feed as their main source of nourishment. No matter how many table scraps the chickens eat, they will still need to eat feed in order to grow properly. Some people recommend only giving chickens chopped vegetables, but one does not have to be bound by this rule. Chickens can and will eat bread scraps, small pieces of cooked meat, little bits of fruit, corn, grain oatmeal and peas. It is also very easy to use chicken coop plans from the internet to put together your own chicken coops.
There are some table scraps that chickens should never be allowed to eat. Foods that are rotten or spoiled should be thrown out, along with foods containing chocolate, raw potato peels, avocado pits and avocado seeds. Other foods that chickens should not eat include raw meat, processed foods such as fast food, pizza and TV dinner leftovers, coffee grinds, foods with a lot of salt and raw meat. You can feed your chickens foods with lots of garlic or onions but it is not advisable. Foods with a strong taste can affect the taste of the eggs, although this is debatable.
Each chicken is different and has its own unique likes and dislikes. Not all chickens like all table scraps; they may eat some and then leave others. Uneaten table scraps will rot and should be removed right away if the chickens are not interested in eating them.
Chickens are much like goats; they can and will eat a wide range of different types of foods. If your chickens are three months old or older, then feel free to give them the healthy table scraps of your choice. However, it is important to make sure that the scraps are suitable for the chickens and will not cause them indigestion and food poisoning. Whole grains, fruits, vegetables and cooked meats are ideal table scraps for grown chickens. As long as the chickens also eat plenty of feed and the scraps are not going off, one should have no problem feeding chickens healthy table scraps.
