do you feed scraps to your chickens?

[Consils]

Can I give them fish and chips or would they be too salty?

[GreatCongas]

It's illegal so we never ever lies feed ours any scraps

[TunipTheVegedude]

I might give them the fish but not the chips. Mine have never liked potatoes in any form and I can't believe that pure starch is much good for them anyway.

[LemonBreeland]

Mine get pasta a lot when the kids don't eat it. Probably wouldn't do fish and chips though.

[ditavonteesed]

only veg trimmings, although as conga says it is illegal. (think its to do with meat scraps and sellings eggs)

[LemonBreeland]

What if you don't sell any eggs though? I never knew it was illegal.

[TunipTheVegedude]

It is still illegal even if you don't sell eggs.
Can't remember the details but it's been discussed at length on other poultry keeping forums.
Mine hardly get scraps because they free range all the time and I want to make sure they get enough 'proper' food in their diet but I don't stress too much about the letter of the law. It would be against the law to give them leftover pasta but legal to cook them their own, but that would be crazy.

[TunipTheVegedude]

when I say 'proper' food I mean food designed for chickens, not human food, obv.

[LemonBreeland]

Interesting Tunip. I knew what you meant by proper food.

Mine sadly can't free range any more due to next doors evil chicken murdering dog. They didn't really get scraps when they did. I do make them their own porridge though. My kisds wouldn't really like peas and things in their porridge.

[TunipTheVegedude]

I have cooked mine porridge in the past, when the weather's been very cold, made with water instead of milk.

[LemonBreeland]

Yes the chickens get water in their porridge here too.

[Mindingalongtime]

You CAN feed chickens scraps as long as there is no meat:

Response from a letter to DEFRA:


Feeding hens

Thank you for your email of 7 February about feeding hens. I have been asked to reply.

There is no legislation on feeding pets with leftovers.
The Animal Welfare Act 2006 makes owners and keepers responsible for ensuring that the welfare needs of their animals are met. These include the need:
for a suitable environment (place to live) for a suitable diet to exhibit normal behaviour patterns to be housed with, or apart from, other animals (if applicable) to be protected from pain, injury, suffering and disease Our guidance on animal welfare requires that no animal is treated other than what is stated www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?topicId=1083732033

*
Defra

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

This email and any attachments is intended for the named recipient only.

[Consils]

I thought that giving them scraps was illegal but wondered how many of you fed them anyway. Thanks

[Mindingalongtime]

This was actually on Radio London yesterday too, and confirmed as long as scraps have not come anywhere near meet, it is fine to give them to the chickens.

Mine had fried rice and porridge today! They adore pasta and chips too, I cook extra pasta for them!

[Mindingalongtime]

(sp) meat

[Megandavids]

I feed mine all the left over food from the veg garden they are great at getting rid of all pests like slugs as well just make sure when you let them in the veg patch you have already picked all the good stuff :)

[Pixel]

I do give mine scraps, it's the same food my kids are leaving eating so I think it should be good enough for chickens! Perhaps I'd better take the meat out though, I was only giving it to them because I'd read on here that people give their chooks left over cat food etc and someone mentioned that their's adore ham. Surely part of the point of having chooks is to cut down on waste and do a bit of recycling.

[VivaLeBeaver]

Only vegi scraps, and pasta, rice, etc. No meat or fish.

Don't they reckon that mad cow disease and possibly foot and mouth was caused by cows eating meat, and then pigs eating meat?

I know when I was younger our miking cows we had, their cow feed contained chicken in the actual cattle feed as there used to be feathers in it! That's all been banned now.

[Pixel]

Ah well they've only had meat a few times anyway so not hard to cut out. The cat gets any leftover fish!

[louisdog]

I give ours leftover chips and jacket spuds etc sometimes and they seem to really love it!

[MrsMiniversCharlady]

Chickens are supposed to be vegetarian? Must tell mine to stop eating worms, dead mice and frogs then or DEFRA will come and get them

[BettySuarez]

Ours have marmite on toast most mornings and they love grated cheese and fruit cake crumbs

[Virgil]

Ours get anything that is left over. We don't sell the eggs.

They will eat anything apart from potato and strawberries. They are particularly partial to banana and leftover spag Bol.

[bubblepop]

mine love any cooked veg , esp broccoli they go mad for it! They also love tomatoes and grapes. dH makes them porridge oats with warm water on a very cold evening and that goes down well, never give them any meator fish though.

[LaBelleDameSansPatience]

Our chicken are not vegetarian either - lots of worms, insects and I have witnessed them eating whole mice!

They get all leftovers that the cats and dog don't like, but seem to draw the line at jelly and meragnes (sp).

Surely the 'pure starch' in chips is no worse than eating grain or boiled potato peelings - ours get all peelings boiled up when I am cooking something anyway.

[nickelbabylyinginamanger]

they're allowed to eat meat they've caught themselves! that's their natural diet.

it's just other meat they're not allowed.