What NOT to Feed Your Backyard Chickens
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2024
- RSM breaks down the few no-no’s when it comes to giving treats to your backyard birds. Learn about everything from plants to bugs, tips about healthy chickens, and the basic digestive system of the noble hen. As always we appreciate comments and subscribing!
I had chickens for years and my girls love everything. Chicken soup and fish is their favorite....go back in time and think what they ate
my hens eat onions, tomatoes, potato leaves, brinjal, and much other stuff and they are just fine. I think it depends upon the breed too.
I regularly google "can chickens eat.." as I have so many different weeds and flowers on my property. They love the chickweed! Lily of the valley is always on my radar because that stuff is poisonous as all get out. I've been surprised to see how good the girls are at distinguishing between edible and inedible foods, though. I will not always trust them, but there have been a few instances where they avoided ingesting poisonous plants. Proud mom moment. Not so proud however when I witnessed them kill and eat a frog.
I completely agree with their sense of discretion. We have mountain laurel and a few others that the girls avoid.
I just got my first group of chicks, built our first chicken coop and run in the year we bought our first house! We are so excited to embark on the chicken journey!! (I say we, but just me, I am.. my husband just humors me..my kids could care less) this was literally a question in my head today as I'm starting to incorporate little treats! I found your videos yesterday and you crack me up all while getting to learn from your chicken wisdom! Thanks for your videos!🐣🐤🐥🐔💛
Hi and congratulations! Lots of fun things happening all at once. I really hope that the Mr. and your kids jump in to help too! They’re addicting! And I’m really happy that you found me! Be careful on the treats with chicks as they can’t digest as well. And i definitely recommend offering chick grit to help their gizzard. Honestly I didn’t do treats at all until they were almost fully grown but I bet it can be done safely. You can look up “grit” here on my channel or Google it. And have fun!
@@realsimplemama thanks so much! Yes, I am offering them grit as well! I think I have become obsessed. Called my husband at 4am while he's on 3rd shift just sitting next to the broot watching them flap around 😆🤦♀️..and totally making my own swing for the "big girl" run and lots of other fun things you suggested! I was watching 👀 like "oo those 🪞 though..need that" haha
Yeah! They’re dollar store mirrors 😄 you can get them instruments and treat balls and all sorts of other hilarious stuff! And you’ll have to let me know about the swing - I never got mine to play with one young enough but I think it’s a fabulous idea!
@@realsimplemama oh, my chickens must be musical now.. I loved your painted 2by 4 perch! I'll basically just make a second location of your Jurasschic Park right here in PA, why not.🤷♀️
Do it!
Black oil sunflower seeds and alfalfa for protein and fat, especially in winter in Minnesota. Oh and mealworms
My chickens know what not to eat.
They work thru the compost and they dont touch the onions or citrus.
They love meat, but don't put it in your coop or it will attract rats and predators.
My pullets ate corn on the cob all last summer and they loved it and were very healthy.
I feed two types of layer feed, and a 6 whole grain and they laid all winter. I have younger & older hens.
I got some of the older hens for free because they were not laying anymore. I wanted them to help with the garden compost. I'm expanding my garden and building lots of compost piles.
They started laying again, not everyday, but several times a week.
They love blueberries.
Not just tomatoes but peppers and eggplant as well. No nightshade
The problem with citrus is that it inhibits the absorption of calcium.
My chickens like mice and snakes. My 2 month old chick scared the crap out of me the other day. A black & white hornet was buzzing her and she grabbed it in the middle and dropped it and then picked it up and ate it before I could grab her. She seemed to know where it was safe to grab it.
Aaaah! I hate when they give us little heart attacks like that! But it is so fascinating to see what they have in their instincts. Mine love slugs, frogs, and baby snakes too.
Very nice video.....FYI.... I have had chickens for years and I live in the AZ desert and my chickens eat all the scorpions and those ugly poisonous centipedes with no problem. It's amazing how they are careful as to how they eat them. They know exactly where the stinger is and they thrash the little buggers around as they pick them apart. LOL I've never had them get sick or die from eating one of them. It's a great source of protein as well. Chickens are very smart when it comes to what they can eat or not eat. For example, I have some Oleanders growing on my farm for shade. and as some may or may not know, the whole plant is poisonous, the chickens and ducks instinctively know not to eat the leaves. It's really amazing. But they will eat many other plants growing. Another very important thing about Oleanders for people who buy them, and may not know, as I mentioned, the whole plant is poisonous not only to animals but people too. even if you burn them, the vapors from burning them is also poisonous so be very careful with that and keep your other animal away as well, such as horses, dogs and cats. I don't know if it will kill them but it will definitely make them sick. I did hear that it can kill horses... but don't know for sure.. Have a great day!
Thanks so much for posting! This is so interesting. And yes oleander is all over the place around here but it always made me nervous because of my young children. That and mountain laurel are planted everywhere here. 🤦🏻♀️
My friend had a horse that died from Oleander cuttings.
I gave my birds a can of Wild Planet Sardines; good for them and then good for our eggs. I keep forgetting to buy greens, but they do free range several times a week; come winter, I'll remember the greens.
Ooh sardines! Hadn’t thought of that!
Sprouts and fodder is a healthy alternatives that you can grow yourself. :-)
Sardines are high in protein and calcium. Good for you and the girls. Every now and then I’ll mix a can of sardines with some cooked rice, especially when they’re molting.
I love your coop yard for your chickens. I’m wondering what the roof looks like.
Thanks so much! It’s corrugated metal laid at an angle so the rain runs off.
I fully enjoy your videos 😉 what is the purpose of having mirrors in the coop? Thanks
Hi! It’s part of just keeping the flock entertained... or confused. They were at the dollar store! I have a “chicken diversions” video where I talk about what I do so the chickens don’t turn on each other, which happens if they’re cramped up or don’t have anything to do.
Hi, awsome video !!! do have a followup video
Can they eat cooked barley?
Yes they should be able to! Barley is in a lot of chicken feed and people also ferment it for their flocks.
@@realsimplemama thanks
Thank you for all of this information. I just downloaded the iNaturalist app. I’m a first time chicken mom so learning is important to me. I have 2 girls that will be 18 wks tomorrow and 4 that will be 17 wks. I’m hoping they’ll start laying soon...Question, is that heavy duty plastic around the bottom of your run and is that to keep the dirt in? Thanks
Yes it’s a weed barrier but the girls don’t eat it, they just tear it up! 😆🌼 Let me know how else I can help! And iNaturalist is addicting!
To clarify, this is a rental house and we didn’t put the plastic in, it was there. But it’s extremely old and was full of holes anyway 🤷🏻♀️
real simple mama ~ Ok thank you. It’s definitely addictive. I went to my backyard to take “a” picture of a plant I’ve been dying to know the name of and “9” plants later I came back inside 😁😜
real simple mama ~ Maybe it was covered with plastic so it could be used as a greenhouse...My chickens would probably tear it up too 😁
Yes but that’s great! It’s a quick easy FREE way to learn! I’d spend all my time in the dirt, I just need someone to pay me to buy plants and more chickens. 😇 And I think it was meant to be part of the flowerbed/border but the yard has been neglected for years.
I’m moving to South Texas so I can be close to you 😝 lol
Lol yay! You’ll love it! Where are you now?
You would have to feed them a ton of apple cores for the seeds to poison them. Never lost a dino to eating too much of something that shouldn't be fed to them. They won't eat something bad for them.
True! Good point. I think since I don’t watch everything they eat i would just rather not offer it all.
Believe me, if they won't eat it, you will find those foods still there the next day.
I am good friends with the couple that bought my old homestead 1 1/2yrs ago. Later that summer, I went over for a visit. I really raved about their lush garden. There were tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelon, cantaloupe, pumpkin, apple seedlings (that they have since transplanted), a mango seedling, pear seedlings, and even a potato plant. They told me they didn't plant ANY of it and were stumped. Then, I revealed something they didn't know. Before I listed my old cabin, I had a huge chicken coop with attached covered run sitting in that spot but sold it. Soooo...it was dino-planted and fertilized for several years, even thru the winter. We had a really good laugh over it and that is the story they tell anyone who wants to know their 'secret'.
I started back up with chickens again on my new homestead this past spring. I have given them bad cucumbers, several mango pits and peels and, today, 2 pumpkins. All in my front pasture that they are grazing via a chicken tractor. Gonna be fun to see what comes up next spring. 😉😁
That’s so neat! What a funny story. Ah, to own a homestead... 😍
Thank you
I've got 4, 4 week old(today) chicks. 3 Isa's & 1 golden comet. Any suggestions on a good diet to start them on now and as they grow? Currently on dumor starter, grit and occasionally I'll crush some meal worms as a treat. I see a lot of back & forth on what's ok, personal preference but your videos the 1st I've seen on what not to give them. I'd like to start giving them a form of green and maybe ground oats but I'm being overly cautious
Hi! Honestly I would wait a while for anything other than chick starter. They don’t need to have anything else right now. In the wild the mother hen would be teaching them what’s safe and what’s not. I personally don’t see a need to give them oats ever.
@@realsimplemama is there something wrong with oats? I see a lot of people say they feed it & it's a great protein. The search for greens to start them on & what's safe or not is what I'm trying to narrow down now. They'll be in my yard soon so I'm trying to be be safe vs sorry
Good morning! Nothing wrong that I know of, I just personally don’t see as much benefit. I stay away from oats and corn most of the time but that’s just me.
Thank you for that info,I'm new to chickens. Do they eat bread 🍞.?
Hi! Yes they can but like with ducks and geese, it has no nutritional value so I’d avoid it (unless you have those few pieces of stale bread every once in a while!).
Mine are sooo picky to eat vegetabled, they dont like carbage or letters or apples or carrots ugrrr but they love any kind if food leftovers specially pasta with tomatoe sauce (homemade fresh) they love meat protein (bugs ground beef, i dont use pesticides on bugs so i grab them nd give it to them but the vegetables very picky, love tomatoes and sweet potatoes
maria mahr Mine are picky too. My hubby says it’s because they’re spoiled
@@sarahdore7884 😂
What is that along the base of the chicken area ?
I put up a plastic tarp to keep rain out, and keep the chickens from kicking all the dirt out!
Rhubarb leaves are toxic
Every other source I find says occasional onions do not hurt chickens.
That’s ok - I’ve seen them on “poison” lists so I choose to not feed them to mine.