Kitchen scraps NOT to feed?

[artemis]

I'm already not planning on feeding them bones or fat trimmings from meat.  


Nor seafood -- I understand fish can make eggs and poultry meat taste "off".  


The layers will get very crushed eggshells, so they don't think eggs are... their breakfast.  


I won't feed them chicken meat, just a bit too cannibalistic for me to consider!   


But... are there other kitchen scraps one should not feed poultry?  Mushrooms?  Jalapenos?  Sugary things?  (No, even if I could, I will not serve my chickens those unidentifiable moldy objects that get lost in the back of the fridge, either...)  


Thanks!

[artemis]

I did run into this resource for information on this topic: www.thehappychickencoop.com/is-it-safe-to-feed-my-chickens-table-scraps/

Not sure how to make it a link, but just copy paste.
I definitely have no intention of feeding myself, any cat, or any bird in my household junk food, but I am glad to learn here that I should not feed my birds avocado or (oops!) onion or allium family members. (They didn't get much of that... but no more!)

[maryellen]

Mine eat veggies, meat, spagetti, clam sauce, fish, burgers, watermelon, squash, pumpkin, canned cat food, mealworms, black fly larvae, sunflower seeds, baby birds, frogs, small baby snakes, cooked chicken, etc
Pretty much everything. They cant have onions and potatoes.

They get that stuff as treats abd when i have them weed my gardens

[artemis]

Thanks, no potatoes... (Going to be cooking some of those for me tonight, so glad to know I shouldn't share...)

[chickenqueen]

Cooked potatoes are ok but raw potatoes contain cyanide.No uncooked dry beans but,contrary to popular belief,uncooked rice is ok.I feed mine pretty much anything,including leftover chicken.

[seminolewind]

I would not feed them any old leftovers or moldy bread. I think they are pretty savvy about things like tomato plants. Is it soy beans that need to be cooked? I know they all love watermelon!

[Sylie]

all dry beans should be rinsed several times and cooked before being fed to them, also, the one major, huge, never ever ever ever feed chickens rhubarb leaves or avocado, they are deadly to them.

I think the problem with raw potatoes isn't the potato itself so much as the green skin, have you ever peeled a raw potato and seen green? It's the green that has the cyanide in it but I never chance it and I don't recommend anyone else chance it, just cooked for them!

Yes, watermelon is a huge favorite with my girls also, they even eat the white part next to the skin. Pumpkin is awesome for them and most chickens love it. Last year we had an extra pumpkin that I forgot about and it got a little bit soft on one side so I cut off the soft part and rolled it into the yard for them and they went ballistic on it.

[seminolewind]

I will do pumpkins this fall!

[Sylie]

I just checked my pumpkin plants this evening, I have 23 so far! omg the chickens are going to love it! What ever will I do with all of those pumpkins??!! I will cook and freeze some for thanksgiving pies, probably make some pumpkin soup, lots of pumpkin bread, but with at least 23 pumpkins...I'm sure there will be some for the girls!

[seminolewind]

Now you got me thinking pumpkins.
My one hen loves red wine. She loves Guiness as well. I think I could persuade others but why. I'll end up with a bunch of drunkos.

I don't think cooked potato is bad. The people next door used to put out a large tray of left overs every day. I think their chickens really loved it because the food was cooked. They seem to like cooked things better.

[maryellen]

Mine love pumpkins , zucchini, squash, pretty much all veggies. They are very smart, they ignore the potatos , onions and tomato plants , they eat the actual tomatos but not the plant itself. I think they instinctively know what to avoid

[artemis]

I just gave mine the first taste ever of watermelon, which I bought specially for them. Our temps are near 90, with "feels like" 100. And just climbing.

They looked at me, saying: We want grain!

Then the first came over to take a taste...

Puppy pile! (Or is it Poultry Pile?)

[maryellen]

Today mine got homemade pancakes , strawberries, and 5 cans of friskies shredded cat food..
Everyone is starting to molt... sigh...

[seminolewind]

OH Yum!!! Good thing they don't eat the tomato plants, they're poisonous. Very. Animals know that.

[seminolewind]

I love giving them leftovers. But I end up putting it all on paper plates because I can't stand the food getting dirt all over it. Anyone have a good idea?

[maryellen]

Mine eat the tomatos, but dont touch the plants themselves. Its like they know what they cant eat. They never touch my onions or potatos. But eat peppers, tomatoes, geapes, strawberries, squash, zucchini etc once i let them in the garden

[duckrunner]

Anyone know if you can feed them hot chillis? Does it burn their mouths? And is it bad for them?

[duckrunner]

Jul 1, 2018 6:41:15 GMT -5 maryellen said:

Mine love pumpkins , zucchini, squash, pretty much all veggies. They are very smart, they ignore the potatos , onions and tomato plants , they eat the actual tomatos but not the plant itself. I think they instinctively know what to avoid

Ask Sylie for zucchini (wink)

[duckrunner]

Oct 7, 2018 3:21:12 GMT -5 duckrunner said:

Jul 1, 2018 6:41:15 GMT -5 maryellen said:

Mine love pumpkins , zucchini, squash, pretty much all veggies. They are very smart, they ignore the potatos , onions and tomato plants , they eat the actual tomatos but not the plant itself. I think they instinctively know what to avoid

Ask Sylie for zucchini (wink)

Coughsorrysycough

[boskelli1571]

Jun 29, 2018 19:19:47 GMT -5 seminolewind said:

I would not feed them any old leftovers or moldy bread. I think they are pretty savvy about things like tomato plants. Is it soy beans that need to be cooked? I know they all love watermelon!

All raw beans should be bannned - they contains a substance that can kill them - if my mind remembers correctly it's hemaagglutinin which gives them some sort of acute anemia.