Providing chickens with treats can be an excellent way to spruce up their diet and boost their energy levels. However, chickens should not be fed too many treats – they should only be given in small amounts as part of a healthy and balanced diet.
Treats can be purchased at any grocery store, but there are also a few recipes you can make yourself with simple ingredients. These chicken feed treats will be sure to keep your feathered friends happy and healthy!
Contents
Store-Bought Treats
Treats are a great way to keep your chickens entertained and add some extra nutrients into their diet. They also give your flock a chance to bond with you and get more exercise.
However, treats should not make up more than 10% of your flock’s daily diet, or about one tablespoon per chicken. This will ensure that each chicken gets sufficient nutrition without overdoing it.
Many commercial chicken feeds are made up of various ingredients that may not be healthy for your birds. These include wheat flour, meat and bone meal, sugar, poultry digest, BHA/BHT, salt, corn starch, malted barley flour, and artificial dyes.
Other snacks you can offer your chickens include cooked vegetables, fruit, and other table scraps. However, be aware that some vegetables, such as avocados, contain persin and hemagglutinin. And rhubarb contains anthraquinones, which can cause digestive issues.
Homemade Treats
Homemade treats are an easy way to give your flock something extra, and they’re also a great source of nutrients for them. These treats can be a part of your daily chicken diet as long as they don’t exceed 10% of your birds’ total daily food intake.
Suet cakes are a boredom buster for your hens, and they’re full of healthy fats that help warm them up in winter. They’re a low-cost, high-protein treat that can be made with melted lard or suet.
These cookies are easy to make, but you should only use high quality ingredients. Unnecessary fat, salt, or sugar can cause weight gain and digestive issues in the long run.
Supplements
Supplements are a great way to boost the overall health of your flock. They can also be used to boost hens’ egg production.
The most important thing to keep in mind when using supplements is to add them only as needed and never overdo it! Overdoing it can lead to a nutritional imbalance and may also make the chickens sick.
Vitamins and minerals can be a very cost-effective way to improve the health of your flock. They can help increase a bird’s appetite, immune system and digestive tract health.
They can also help with energy levels, weight gain and feather growth. They are often available in powder form that can be added to water or mixed with molasses.
Grit is another important chicken feed supplement that can be provided free-choice or as a crushed oyster shell. Providing insoluble grit will help the chickens grind their food into smaller, more digestible pieces.
Scratch
Scratch treats, also known as scratch grains, are an inexpensive way to give your flock some extra protein and calcium. They’re also an easy way to diversify their diet and help them avoid over-feeding.
However, you need to be careful with how much you feed your birds. They should be fed a balanced diet that contains plenty of protein, calcium, and fat. Chickens who don’t get enough of these nutrients will start to look tatty, lay poor-quality eggs, and have dull eyes and depressed demeanor.
Chickens will naturally rummage through the ground in search of seeds, greens, grit, and insects to eat. This is why it’s a good idea to spread scratch grains around the coop and outside, encouraging them to do their natural foraging.
