Feeding hens leftovers?

[jadavi]

Hi do any hen owners know what food scraps are ok for hens? We were giving them all our leftovers apart from potato and orange banana peelings etc but I have heard this is wrong.
(We also have loads of poo to deal with on the pavement where the mindees play )
Any tips?

[Dragonfly]

You are not meant to feed kitchen waste to any livestock, includes hens.But people do including myself I wouldn't let the chickens free range where the children play, they poo a lot. Fence chicken area off or put temporary plastic builders orange fencing to contain them in an area when you are childminding ( I scrounged mine from a builder! )

[FussyElmo]

The only left overs my chickens have is any cooked veg.

they also hve their own area (which is in need of repair so they don't wander too much ;-)

[hectors house]

I do give my hens cooked vegetable & fruit peelings (including potato, but not banana peel or orange), I have a big microwave saucepan and cook it for about 5 mins.

I don't let my hens out often they have a big run to scratch about in as they make such a mess of the garden - first time we let them out, I said to my husband that they had scratched bark all over the garden - he said "No more mess than your mindees then", I said "And they have eaten your rhubarb" and he said "Right that's it, they have blown it, never going out again"!

[jadavi]

Thanks

What about cooked pasta? We give them a lot.
We only have a small garden so no room for separate long run but do power hose and scrub the tiles clean every day before mindees go on it.

[hectors house]

Yes I do give them left over pasta and rice - I always seem to cook too much! The rule seems to be regarding fruit and veg is don't give them anything that you wouldn't eat yourself - so not the carrots that have gone squishy in the bottom of the fridge! I do give them slightly stale bread, but only a little bit at a time as it's not good for them to have too much bread and the same with out of date salad, I mix it in with other veg rather than give them just salad.

[Maza]

Wow, I never knew so many of you kept hens! That's amazing. My DD has started begging me for hens but they seem like a lot of hard work. Are they? Is it expensive to set up? Do they make a lot of noise? Do you have trouble with foxes? x

[hectors house]

Have only had ours since August - we got them from animal rescue centre they are ex battery/barn hens - cost about £6 each - my brother gave us the chicken house for nesting & roosting, my husband made the run, it was very expensive as I wanted it quite big so we don't have to let them out in the garden and as our garden backs onto fields I didn't want it made of just thin chicken wire, it's made of weldmesh to "try" to stop the foxes.

To start with I was letting them out in the morning and doing fresh food & water with veg peelings and cleaning out the nesting boxes, then in the afternoon I was collecting any eggs and giving them handful of corn to scratch around for, then at night shutting them away.

But we are going on holiday soon and I can't expect my parents to come round 3 times a day, so will be warm enough to not shut them away at night (the run is completely enclosed with a weldmesh top, so hopefully foxes won't get in) -will get my parents to just come once a day to do food and water (I have bought an extra water container - just in case one gets knocked over) and collect eggs - they can feed the cat at the same time.

[FussyElmo]

My brother brought me the chicken coop and they have their own fenced of area of the garden.

I have had mine for nearly 2 years now and they are very easy to keep. If you can get through the winter months. Mine are let out about 730 and licked in once its dark.

Not had any trouble with foxes (crossing fingers) but I do have 2 dogs as well. there are also easy sources of food for them in towns than the countryside but I do still worry about a fox attack.

I love my chicky ladies couldn't imagine being without them now

[maisiemog]

So jealous! I desperately want chickens but we have a concreted garden so not so sure it's practical. Plus DH is quite against the idea

[amyp]

No citrus- or banana peelings. Mine are fussy little things!! We are adding 2 ducklings to our collection in a few weeks!!

[newbie]

I have 4 chickens and adore my ladies! I would LOVE to get ducklings but need to look into that a bit further first. Mine have leftover ends of bread, veg bits but no potato peelings as I had read/heard somewhere that they were bad for them. Mine free range for most of the day but also have a huge enclosure if I need to keep them locked up . Just dealing with rats at the mo though .

[hectors house]

I have 4 chickens and adore my ladies! I would LOVE to get ducklings but need to look into that a bit further first. Mine have leftover ends of bread, veg bits but no potato peelings as I had read/heard somewhere that they were bad for them. Mine free range for most of the day but also have a huge enclosure if I need to keep them locked up . Just dealing with rats at the mo though .

Potato peelings are fine occasionally if cooked and in with other peelings. Am dreading seeing rats as my neighbour is terrified of all vermin like rats and mice and am worried that she would phone council to make me give up my hens as it is in our deeds that we aren't supposed to have "pigs or poultry". But it's also in deeds that we weren't supposed to change the colour of our windows and doors - but neighbour the otherside would be out of a job if we had all followed that one as he works for a upvc window company!

[FussyElmo]

I have 4 chickens and adore my ladies! I would LOVE to get ducklings but need to look into that a bit further first. Mine have leftover ends of bread, veg bits but no potato peelings as I had read/heard somewhere that they were bad for them. Mine free range for most of the day but also have a huge enclosure if I need to keep them locked up . Just dealing with rats at the mo though .

Oh no well they do say you are never more than a metre away from a rat.

I store my food in the house and in a plastic container it usually the food that attracts them.

[amyp]

How are you dealing with the rats? I always see rats but because they are at the end of a long garden I don't mind too much x

[Dragonfly]

I have had chickens 5 years and never seen a rat in my garden. I will prob go out tomorrow and see one or a whole group! I would be mortified yuck

[auntie lisa]

My parents have chickens and they have everything apart from chicken! They even give them tea bags and egg shells in there mash it really helps there eggs and feathers. They love rice!

[alex__17]

I had hens for 5/6 years and fed them all leftovers except chicken, microwaved potato peelings in water for 5 mins, their fave was weetabix mushed in warm water with raisins hidden in the bottom on a cold winter morning.
We had an eglu, never saw a rat but did have the house on a concrete base to prevent that. Sadly a clip on the fox-proof run snapped while we were on holiday and a fox got our 1 remaining ancient hen, so now we're having a break until after we've had some building work done on the house to get more.

[Dragonfly]

I have to say my coop is high up. The hens have to walk up a ladder to get to it as I didn't want anything living underneath. Also gives more space for them.Nice cabbage stung up to give them something to peck on, they like also raw carrots/swede.

[jadavi]

Thanks

This is what I was told re giving them everything we would eat

I am now sharing the leftovers with the dog as fed up with the large volumes of poo.

We love our chooks and the eggs are lovely
One each per hen per day. I love recycling all the leftovers too.