Feeding kitchen scraps - DOs and DON'Ts (Please contribute)

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Hi, I've read various accounts of what people feed their chooks regarding kitchen scraps but I thought it'd be helpful for newbies (like me :D ) if there was a comprehensive list in one thread topic as point of reference. What does everyone think?

I know veg like cabbage etc is given a general thumbs up but are there any vegetables which you SHOULDN'T feed e.g. what about potatoes? Can you feed the peelings or is that one where they HAVE to be cooked first?

I'd also like to know what the feeling is with regards to what I wouldn't necessarily think of feeding chooks. For example, I have heard a few people mentioning feeding cat and dog food to chooks and also MEAT and EGGS?? Is this normal practice/ethical? Sorry to sound so dim but I thought you should only feed grains and fruit and veg.

Thank you in advance.

Donna. x
 
Hi Donna

Being a veteran hen owner of 4 weeks now, I'm far from being an expert but this is what I've found out so far.

Regarding kitchen scraps the only thing I've heard for sure that is toxic is avocado. Can't remember where I heard it though!
I give them leafy veg - cabbage, lettuce, etc. Rather than throw down big leaves, I'm trying slicing them and hanging them from some string. I have no idea if they prefer this or not but I'm still learning!
I'm planting some bok choy in the top end of the garden and blocking it off until they've grown, then I'll let them in and they can stuff themselves on it.

Mine don't seem overly keen on root veg like carrots, turnip or parsnip unless it's been cooked first.
The other day I got all my left over veg, grated it in my blender and cooked it up into a kind of stew/mash. I used carrots, turnip (swede if you're posh!), potato peelings, cabbage, some left over mince and a tin of corned beef chopped up. I cooked it and served it up to them warm with some garlic granules over the top. It was the first time my hens have had something like that so they weren't too sure at first but they finished it all. I took some up for my friends hens and they wolfed it down.

I gave them my left over mashed potatoes, heinz beans and chopped up sausage and that disappeared straight away. My friend gives his rice and pasta. So would I but I haven't had any left over yet!

I also give them cat treats - fishy flavoured so they get plenty of protein, a few handfulls of wheat and some liquid tonic in their water every other refill.


Hope this helps

Osric

PS> I hear ready brek is very popular too!
 
all of above, will eat most meats and apples are good for guts(basically like acv) :)
 
mine love all that especially pasta and i use a wild bird nutfeeder hung in their run with cat kibble in, its supposed to be great protien for them
i understand green tomato's are not good for them and lettuce is not great either
 
Hi Donna,

This is what my chooks eat.

Anything in the green veg line, cabbage, carrot tops & celery tops - i.e the leaves, also the outside leaves of cauliflower, broccolli, lettuce, peas etc etc) sweetcorn, fresh when in season tied with string & hung up for them to peck at, or tinned when not, cooked potatoe peelings, Not so keen on root veg like carrots but they'll eat them & the peelings if cooked. Lots of things with seeds they love like tomatoes, raspberries, etc.
Soft fruit (mine love grapes :) they'll follow me anywhere for one!)
Pasta & rice, (cooked without salt !)
Bread,
Dried fruit (I found a bag from last Christmas & they had a handful everyday, all gone!)
Porridge (I add a small amount of hot water & a few spoons of natural yoghurt, they woof it down! its supposed to be good for them but can't remember why now :) ) Ready Brek is OK too.

I've learnt from this forum that dried cat food (or tinned) moistened with water is very good protein for them when a boost is needed at times like when they're moulting.

Tim has done a very comprehensive list of things you shouldn't feed them (e.g green tomatoes & avocado) I think you'll find it on the main site.

The only thing I buy specially is the cabbages because mine are kept in an enclosed run so all the natural greenery has gone now. I tie a cabbage up & they happily peck away all day!
 
I gave my little buddies some honeydew melon and they loved it.

I had to cut it into sixths rather than halves so it was easier for them to get stuck in.


I'll scratch lettuce from their diet!

Osric
 
The law about feeding meat and meat by products to poultry is for those that are going into the foodchain for human consumption etc. They are fed a diet of pellets etc only therefore. Much like livestock being fed meat products and foot and mouth being the outcome, regulations are in place regarding meat products and poultry.

It makes total sense to me tbh.

For private poultry keepers, giving a bit of cat food or some such is down to personal preference. But iirc the advice is to not eat the meat from these birds.

I have always fed my table birds a diet of pellets, corn, greens and free ranging. They never have any for human consumption meat products. But of course they find slugs, snails and so on in their foraging. I think this is seen as very different from meat that has been added to with preservatives, colouring, flavouring etc as we get from shops. I fully expect my chooks to find 'meat' in their natural habitat when foraging. Its just very different from what we eat.

I have never given any of my other chooks meat or fish products either though. I personally don't feel the need to nor think its healthy in the long term for them if they are already free ranging and finding things when out and about.

I do feed mine Ready Brek with warm water on cold winter mornings. Also pasta and rice when needing the extra energy/warmth. They also get the odd bit of cooked potato, cherry toms, broccoli and peas from time to time. Outside of that I don't give them anything other than their pellets and corn. They get the rest from free ranging.
 
I've always thought that regarding feeding chooks meat scraps, it always used to be done, it's not allowed by Defra now as Snifter says because of these diseases like foot and mouth that have come about.. yet there's a difference (in my very humble opinion) to feeding animal slaughter waste etc back to livestock continuously over years and years to feeding your chooks a few meat scraps from the kitchen that are 'fit for human consumption'.

In my house, the dog gets the meat scraps (if there are any left!) we only eat meat a couple of times a week and there is usually very little waste but one thing my chooks do get is bacon rind from time to time and the odd scrap of fat from a pork roast.

Scraps
In general, I believe you should limit the scraps to no more than 25% of their diet to ensure they are getting the correct balanced diet. This would come down considerably if they were eating only pasta or cooked potatoes for example.

Do not feed advocado (as already mentioned) or potatoes that are green. Potato shoots / sprouts are also poisonous. All root crops - potato - carrot - swede etc need cooking. This includes peelings.

I do not feed lettuce - I don't have proof of this but I think it contains a chemical that makes them lethargic and can reduce egg numbers - I actually did a test with 4 other chicken keepers 5 or 6 years ago to try and prove this and 3 out of 5 of us saw a drop in egg numbers after feeding whole lettuces for 2 weeks. Not conclusive but enough for me to not want to feed lettuce leaves to the chickens.

I keep a big pot (cheap jam making saucepan) for the scraps and a large saucepan for 'boiling up' every couple of days I boil the peelings, cabbage etc up and add to the pot that generally had bread and scraps in it before mixing with mash into a crumble mixture.

Fresh Greens

During the winter when grass is not so fresh, I hang greens around the run. Around January time, you will find the supermarkets get packets of fresh 'spring greens' from Lincolnshire. These are often on offer (50p to £1) as they are harvested and won't keep for too long. I hang these in the runs with string. Sweetcorn is also very popular. Other greens can be expensive so I try to but the 'offer' that they can eat fresh to get the most nutrients our of it.
 
found this info on a defra leaflet- states household kitchens and pet chickens................ :?



It has been illegal to feed catering waste to farmed animals in the UK since 2001,
and this ban was adopted by the whole European Community in 2003. If you are
convicted of feeding catering waste to farmed animals you can be fined or
sentenced to a maximum of two years in prison.
The law is there to help prevent outbreaks of foot and mouth disease and other
animal diseases such as swine fever - catering waste can be a major source of these
diseases.
You cannot feed any kind of catering waste to farmed animals. Catering
waste is defined as all waste food, whether raw or cooked, including used
cooking oils (UCO), which arise in premises such as:
• Household kitchens
• Restaurants
• Fish and Chips/Pizza/Kebab shops
• Takeaway shops
• Canteens
• Cafes; or
• Vegetarian kitchens/restaurants
It also includes food waste from other premises (food factories, distribution
warehouses etc.) that contains or has been in contact with animal by-products (such
as raw eggs, meat, fish products) and this must not be fed to farmed animals.
'Farmed animals' includes any pet animals that belong to a farmed species, such as
pet pigs, goats and poultry.
 
wiltshirehen said:
found this info on a defra leaflet- states household kitchens and pet chickens................ :?



It has been illegal to feed catering waste to farmed animals in the UK since 2001,
and this ban was adopted by the whole European Community in 2003. If you are
convicted of feeding catering waste to farmed animals you can be fined or
sentenced to a maximum of two years in prison.
The law is there to help prevent outbreaks of foot and mouth disease and other
animal diseases such as swine fever - catering waste can be a major source of these
diseases.
You cannot feed any kind of catering waste to farmed animals. Catering
waste is defined as all waste food, whether raw or cooked, including used
cooking oils (UCO), which arise in premises such as:
• Household kitchens
• Restaurants
• Fish and Chips/Pizza/Kebab shops
• Takeaway shops
• Canteens
• Cafes; or
• Vegetarian kitchens/restaurants
It also includes food waste from other premises (food factories, distribution
warehouses etc.) that contains or has been in contact with animal by-products (such
as raw eggs, meat, fish products) and this must not be fed to farmed animals.
'Farmed animals' includes any pet animals that belong to a farmed species, such as
pet pigs, goats and poultry.
Click to expand...

Hmmm...

After reading that I suspect most chicken owners are in trouble! Everyone I know who has hens gives them kitchen scraps.
Now I've had mine for almost 5 weeks I tend to buy extra food and prepare it just for them although I'm sure the Defra police would still say that counted as kitchen waste.

Surely food prepared for human consumption is safe for the hens to eat? I don't give them anything I wouldn't eat myself.
Apart from cat treats, and pellets, er and wheat.

And grit... :P


Osric


PS. I suppose I'll have to mention worms and slugs as well. But apart from cat treats, pellets, wheat, grit, worms and slugs, my hens don't get anything I wouldn't eat myself ;)
 
I read somewhere that it is not allowed to feed any scraps at all that have been in a domestic kitchen ,so according to that all peelings etc should be done outside ! :lol:
 
Not sure DEFRA have police exactly,but guess if we are all locked up,(for caring for our chooks) at least we'll have like minded folks to chat to.
I buy de-hydrated worms for my hens,then re-hydrate them in my kitchen,don't want to do that outside :( ......although other half does mention my house is designed for pets first....peeps second, so do I count :lol: .
I guess we get away with it,because DEFRA are more concerned with larger companies as opposed to small hobby breeder's.
Probably gets more awkward for small holders etc.
 
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