TCoppock Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 We are animal sitting for friends and have run out of chicken feed. We actually ran out last night, but we thought nothing of it because they were expected home today. They are not yet home and the chickens have been without food for almost 24 hours. :( The feed stores in our area are closed foir the holiday. Is there anything in my house I can give them. Vegetables? Wild bird seed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristavws Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 Here is a list of everything you can feed to chickens: http://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart HTH! Krista Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise in Florida Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 I feed mine kitchen scraps (as well as feed). Mine seem to enjoy all kinds of bread, crackers, cheetos, chips etc. You can give them vegetable peels, tomatos, cooked rice, cooked pasta, pumpkin pulp. Pretty much whatever you have. Mine really love yogurt. good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freerange Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 Ours particularly like rice, baked potato & noodles if we run out of feed. Leftover veggies & grapes get pounced on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfgivas Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 ours will eat just about anything. favorites include spaghetti and watermellon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCMom Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 (edited) Do you have any oatmeal, cheerios or sunflower seed? A mix of these would be best. Mine will eat cooked lentils in a pinch. Also cooked pasta, cooked rice, cooked beans (mine LOVE cooked black beans) and most fruits/veggies are popular. Plain yogurt is also a big hit, for some reason. Of course the number 1 chicken treat here is raisins...but ya can't live off raisins alone. ;) eta: you can use birdseed. I think they add some stuff (vitamins?) to wild birdseed, but if the owners were using premade feed then it probably had additives too. Anyway it'll be fine! Chickens eat anything... hth, Georgia Edited December 31, 2010 by Georgia in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 We are animal sitting for friends and have run out of chicken feed. We actually ran out last night, but we thought nothing of it because they were expected home today. They are not yet home and the chickens have been without food for almost 24 hours. :( The feed stores in our area are closed foir the holiday. Is there anything in my house I can give them. Vegetables? Wild bird seed? Ours think cat food is a treat. They will also eat just about anything we eat (in other words -leftovers) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 My chickens are constantly sneaking dog food out of the dog bowls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomOfOneFunOne Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 ours will eat just about anything. favorites include spaghetti and watermellon. Our chickens' favorites, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 My chickens are constantly sneaking dog food out of the dog bowls. My husband was so frustrated today as there was chicken poop in the garage...........guess why............the chickens got in there to eat the dog food. That was OK because the dog ate the cat food and then they all go out to see if there is any horse feed left to nibble on as well:lol: I would say clean out your fridge and give them whatever is in there you don't want anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 Leftovers. Ours had cauliflower, stale bread, orange peels, popcorn old maids, and sour milk today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsintheGarden Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 I agree with all of the above. Our chickens will eat just about anything! They sneak into the garage and eat cat food and dropped rabbit pellets. They will eat dropped seed from the bird feeders. We give them scraps, cut up cabbage and other veggies, leftover (stale) bread/oatmeal/rice/pasta, etc. They will try to steal popsicles, ice cream cones, or lollipops from the children. They will even eat chicken, but I wouldn't advise giving them that. If your neighbors were going to be gone for longer, I'd recommend going to the local Wal-Mart and checking the pet and wild bird sections for bags of something to give them. GardenMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethInNH Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 Please don't let your chickens eat cat or dog food. It is made with chicken (most brands anyways), and that's just wrong. :ack2: I mean, you wouldn't feed your dog ground-up dog meat would you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 Please don't let your chickens eat cat or dog food. It is made with chicken (most brands anyways), and that's just wrong. :ack2:I mean, you wouldn't feed your dog ground-up dog meat would you? How do you stop free range chickens from eating the dog or cat food? We have barn cats and the dog is an indoor/outdoor dog----but, our dog food is made with lamb if that is any better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 Please don't let your chickens eat cat or dog food. It is made with chicken (most brands anyways), and that's just wrong. :ack2:I mean, you wouldn't feed your dog ground-up dog meat would you? There's nothing wrong with chickens eating chicken. They do it in "nature" all the time. Cooked, raw, still-walking-around -- it's all the same to them! Chickens will eat anything. The only thing we don't give them is fish or onions 'cause it tends to make their eggs taste "off." Anything else is fine. (If you're not collecting the eggs, I'd even give them fish and onions.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethInNH Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 Well, I wouldn't have my pets living outside, so I can't really answer that question. But, is there any way to keep their food in a place not easily accessible to the chickens? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethInNH Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 For one thing, cat and dog food is very high in protein, which is very bad for chickens. It's probably okay to give them a little as a treat, perhaps when they are moulting and they could use the extra protein, but I wouldn't make it a daily thing. But then again, my chickens are pets, not food, and I couldn't afford the vet bills a poor chicken diet would cause. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColoradoMom Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 I'm sure my chickens would eat dog food...I know my donkeys fight for it and they are strict vegetarians. (Or so they think...) ;) I only feed Flock Raiser which is 20% protein. They have been eating the waterfowl food for so long they won't touch the Layena so I stopped buying it. If I ran out of feed I'd throw them a loaf of bread and some salad. They'd figure it out. I really don't do that though, I just make them wait until the next morning when I can get to the feed store and then feed them extra. All my birds are on the chubby side right now - missing a meal won't kill 'em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 Well, I wouldn't have my pets living outside, so I can't really answer that question. But, is there any way to keep their food in a place not easily accessible to the chickens? :lol: Chickens want to be outside! They love grass ands bugs and digging in dirt. They need to bathe in dirt, in fact. They are birds...and well, birds ...fly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 :lol: Chickens want to be outside! They love grass ands bugs and digging in dirt. They need to bathe in dirt, in fact. They are birds...and well, birds ...fly. I think she meant my cats and dog. The cats are barn cats so they do live outside with a little box, lots of food and heated water as well as a barn full of hay to keep warm. On really cold nights we do let them in the house. The dog is mostly in the house but has always been fed outside. When I say that they eat it, I mean they nibble on it occ. when they can sneak in the open garage door. The chickens are fed twice a day with a fancy layer mash from the feed store. Everyone has their own species specific food but yet they love to sneak food from someone else if they get a chance. The chickens love to eat the grain that our old senior horse drops---as well as dig around in the manure for bugs, grain, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 For one thing, cat and dog food is very high in protein, which is very bad for chickens. It's probably okay to give them a little as a treat, perhaps when they are moulting and they could use the extra protein, but I wouldn't make it a daily thing. But then again, my chickens are pets, not food, and I couldn't afford the vet bills a poor chicken diet would cause. Too high in protein for chickens??? Wait -- are they free-ranging chickens? You should see my chickens running around with frogs and salamanders hanging out of their mouths. They spend all day hunting bugs! (Of course they have access to grass and veggie scraps plus layer pellets, too.) Naturally, a chicken eats a lot of protein. If the OP says they're out of chicken food, I wouldn't hesitate to feed them dog food or house scraps. They'll get back to their layer pellets ASAP, I'm sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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