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We got three chickens a week ago. The lady in the shop said they will need veg scraps but so far they've not shown much interest in them whatsoever. Should I cook them and mash up? I've had a quick google but have had conflicting advice.

They free range in the day and go in at night. Don't know if that's why they are turning their noses up at scraps?

Also if anyone can recommend a good basic chicken keeping book I'd be very grateful. Thanks

we've had two chickens for about 2 years now. ours are free range in the day but locked up at night. my nephew runs the local chicken club and we got the chickens at point of lay, from him.

if you are feeding them layers pellets they dont NEED anything else. most people feed them scraps or a dry corn mix to give them some pecking interest.

if your chickens are free range and get to eat slugs and nice fresh (ie still growing) plants, they will turn up thier noses at 'stale' scraps.

mine will come running for leftover sweetcorn, melon, lettuce and peas.
most other stuff they will have a peck at but wont be bothered with.

HOWEVER i really have to hide the catfood- they will peck that up quicker than the cats do... AND they will chase the cats to get close to the food!

having chickens has been fun for us... hope you enjoy it!

We don't give ours scraps either. if we have any left over pasta, rice or waffles then they love these but i wouldnt give them veg scraps. ours are free ranging and love a good worm or snail. they also love crocus's and elderberries too. i would forego the scraps - if they dont eat them then they will attract rats.

We give ours scraps and I also cook them rice, couscous, sweetcorn, porridge and sultanas, cat food and curry (with no salt).

Hi there,

My chickens are the same - they free-range and pretty much turn their beaks up at any raw peelings! I find that 'peckable' treats like sweetcorn, berries, whole apples (with the core removed) and par-boiled whole veggies like carrot, brocolli and potatoes go down a storm! Ours also love weetabix or porridge with a bit of honey or buttered toast - with peanut butter if they are getting really spoilt!

For good advice, check out:
Books: Virginia Shirt - The right way to keep chickens or Keeping Pet Chickens
Websites: www.thechickencoop.co.uk or www.poultry.allotment.org.uk
Facebook: The Chicken Chat group (UK not US Purina run group) is a brilliant source of advice

Have fun! Chickens are fab!

Ours are kept in a large pen (which we move regularly onto fresh grass). We feed them mixed corn and layers pellets. They guzzle up pretty much any scraps from our table, but they particularly like:

sweetcorn, potatoes, peas, apple peel and cores, bread, rice, pasta, porridge. Also meat (obv not poultry, or anything salty like ham or bacon).

We collect our table scraps in a tub by the sink and take it to them every morning when we let them out of the coop - they go for the scraps first and only bother with their other food when the scraps are gone.

We uprooted a "bolted" spinach plant in the garden and put it in their run - our old hen turned up her beak at it at first, but the younger ones (who used to live somewhere a bit more competitive) were all over it like a rash and the old one somehow "learned" from them it was nice to eat.

You need to cook potato peelings and potatoes. Other than that, my chickens go mad for scraps (of which they have had a lot since we started BLW). The only things they don't like are raw peppers and carrot peelings. Their favourites are probably beans, sweetcorn, chickpeas, peas and pasta. But perhaps all chickens are different - I used to have some that loved dandelion leaves but the ones I have now turn their beaks up at them. If they are happy with their layers' pellets and with what they are digging up when free-ranging they may take a while to get interested in scraps.