7 beginner mistakes when feeding chickens (2024)

Today's article looks at some of the most common mistakes people make when feeding their chickens.

Making mistakes is part of the learning process.

Evenold handswhere I had to start something myself and mistakes were made along the way.

Keep in mind that you will encounter conflicting opinions on some things. If you're not sure, use common sense!

We hope this article takes some of the pain and "duh" factor out of feeding your chickens.

Beginner mistakes when feeding chickens

Feed them poisonous food

Chickens are extremely curious creatures and will steal almost anything.

Surprisingly, they seem to avoid many poisonous weeds (like deadly nightshade)! But one thing they will pick at and swallow if they can are things like screws, nails and staples. Veterinariansit's coldhardware diseaseand yes, it's real.

Common toxic foods for chickens include:

• Moldy stuff - if you don't want to eat it, don't give it to them!
• Seeds of the following species: apple, apricots, peaches, plums, pears and cherries.
• Avocadoschil of -steen.
• Raw or dried beans.
• Chocolate.
• Rhubarb.
• Green potatoes or tomatoes.
• Ui.

In addition to the above, do not give him things that are too sweet, salty or fatty.

Before feeding your birds, try to ensure that whatever you feed them is cleared of any residual pesticides.

Unbalanced diet

If their diet is not well balanced, problems can arise, including vitamin deficiencies and malnutrition.

A vitamin deficiency can cause the following symptoms: weakness, lethargy, soft bones, poor muscle mass, curled toes, tremors and poor feathers.

All these problems can be avoided with proper nutrition.

As extra insurance, give them a vitamin/electrolyte supplement every few weeks. In fact, one of the most common deficiencies is a calcium deficiencylarge egg-laying breedsam suffering from this.

When chickens start layingsoft-shelled or rubbery eggsthey usually lack calcium.

This can easily be remedied by adding oyster shells to the diet; this must be offered as a free choice in a separate container.

Does not use a food bowl

In the past, chickens were not fed at all.

They would be given a handful of corn and what they could gather for themselves – how things have changed! Nowadays we have better ideas about feeding our birds because we want them to be healthy and productive.

It is not recommended to simply spread the food over the floor– the floor is a dirty place to eat from.

Your chickens must be fed from a special feeder (read5 Best Automatic Chicken Feeders: What You Need to Know Before Buying).

Also remember that like chickens they need a special bowl to eat from.

Feeding according to a schedule

All chickens must be freely fed.

Let them eat what they want, when they want. They have a lot of energy, so food should always be available to them. When your puppies reach adulthood (about 16 weeks old), it's time to decide how you want to feed them.

The majority of people feed for free – this means you always have to make sure there is food available. Most people do this for the convenience of themselves and their birds.

Other people prefer to eat according to a schedule with morning and evening times.

Although this is an individual choice, I do not recommend planned eating for a number of reasons:

• Most chickens don't eat too much, so they can take care of themselves.
• If you offer limited feeding time, the more anxious herd members may not get enough to eat.
• It ties you into a fixed, strict schedule that you cannot miss.

Of course, you can still participate in hand feeding if you wish. The chickens will definitely enjoy the human contact, especially if you have treats on hand! If you are too busy and want to release feed, you canuse an automatic chicken feeder.

Shower them with treats

We all love to spoil our chickens with treats. I'm as guilty of it as anyone else, but we have to remember that treats are just that: treats.

Treats should be given in small quantities(a mouthful or two should be enough).

Why?

Chicks will tuck into tasty snacks before eating their regular, nutritious food.

If they do, their balanced diet will disappear, and that can be the case under extreme circ*mstanceslead to some significant problems.

Some all-time favorite treats include:

• Mealworms.
• Tomatoes (ripe only).
• Bird seed (especially black oil sunflower seed).
• Greens (except iceberg lettuce).
• Cracked Corn (also known as Chicken Crack).

They eat table scraps

What table scraps can you give them?

In Europe and Great Britain, table scraps are given to livestockis actually prohibited. The reason for this is to prevent the spread of possible infectious diseases. Here in the US you are free to feed almost anything to your livestock. You can offer a wide variety of table scraps, from vegetables to leftovers.

Please note that leftovers should be given in moderation.

For example, most chickens love spaghetti, but it is a source of a lot of carbohydrates, so it should be limited to an occasional treat.

Forgot supplements

People often forget to provide their flock with supplements.

The most important nutritional supplement in my opinion is the oyster shell. Oyster shells contain calcium carbonate, which is essential for the well-being of your birds.

This helps the chicken put shells on its eggs and maintain strong and healthy bones.

It is important to feed the oyster shell separately from the food, because too much calcium can also cause problems.

The other supplement that is important for chickens is insoluble gravel. It can be purchased in bags at feed stores. Grit is essential for them to properly digest their food. If the chickens have free range, they will pick up pebbles and pieces of stone from the ground, but if you cannot let them roam freely, they need gravel.

Additional vitamin supplements for adult birds should be limited to about once a month (unless your birds are stressed or unwell).

What should you feed chickens with?

Like all living things, chickens need the right nutrition for every stage of their lives.

Chickens should be fed chicken starter crumbs that contain at least 20% protein. They can continue on the 20% until they switch to laying hen feed.

Egg-laying chickens and roosterscan all be fed with 16% laying hen feed.

The formulations of the feed sold in most farm and country stores are accuratecalculated by poultry growth specialiststo take the guesswork out of it for you.

Each feed bag you look at should have a paper label attached to it (usually on the bottom).

When you start your chicken journey, these labels can seem confusing because each product may contain additional ingredients.

• Some foods are organic, others are not. Keep in mind that you pay a lot more for organic.
• Certain feeds also offer marigold extractgenerouslythe plums – not really necessary if your chickens have free range.
• Some are medicinal. If your birds have been vaccinated against coccidiosis, do not feed medicated feed.

Some people like to make their own rations for their birds. It is possible to do this, but it must be done correctly and in precise proportions, otherwise the birds will not get all the nutrients they need to grow and thrive.

Cv

You now know what and how to feed your chickens.

Make sure they are well fed and they will love you forever, but don't overfeed them!

Obesity is becoming a major problem for domestic chickens. We may like them to look plump and well-fed, but this can lead to serious laying problems for the chicken.

We encourage you to read more about nutrition and nutritiontake care of your chickensbecause we have only scratched the surface of this enormous subject.

If you do it right, you will enjoy many hours of fun caring for your girls.

If you have any questions about feeding your chickens, let us know in the comments box below...