Is milk good for chickens? Below we have gathered the correct information on whether to feed milk to your chickens. In addition, you will find more information about other foods to avoid.
Most people tend to refer to chickens as ‘two-legged pigs.’ This is because just like pigs, chickens have a natural behavior of feeding on new and fresh food that comes on their way despite feeding them with commercial feeds.
One of the most asked questions is whether raw milk is good for chickens and baby chicks. Below we’re going to cover that question and some other foods that you should never allow your flocks to feed on.
There are some common foods that chickens love but they offer no benefits or are low in nutrients.
Table of Contents
Can I feed bread to my chickens?
Bread is a portion of good food for a well-meaning person to feed chickens. And by the way, they love it, you will find them leaving commercial feed and scrabbling for a tiny piece of bread.
Now, the problem with bread is sometimes it can form a ball in the chicken crop which can lead to serious blockage. A chicken gizzard is not made to take large quantities of this type of food.
In addition, bread contains yeasts and sugars which if fed in large quantities can cause serious complications in chicken crop/stomachs.
So in short, feeding bread to your flocks is not necessary since as you can see it has no nutritional value and has detrimental effects when fed in large quantities. But hey, not to mean a small piece of bread is entirely bad.
Below are other common foods to avoid feeding chickens
Raw milk and other dairy products
There is a myth that has circulated for a long time that milk is good for chickens since it improves immunity.
Some even are starting to feed baby chicks with milk to reduce the mortality rate.
Before feeding milk you should now know that chickens are highly intolerant of lactose found in milk.
Turns out that milk is high in proteins and other important minerals though lactose can be a poison to chicken because sometimes it can cause stomach upset.
If you must give dairy products, yogurt or cheese are best, since they don’t contain lactose in them.
Eggshells
Don’t feed eggshells to chickens. Some people tend to feed chickens with eggshells for calcium. To be safe, It’s better to look for calcium feed supplements in your local agro vet you will be surprised it doesn’t cost much.
The main reason why you should never even try feeding them with this food is that;
Chickens will acquire this notorious behavior of eating their eggs and the solution will be of course – selling them.
Other foods to avoid feeding chickens
Garlic and onions will give eggs an unpalatable taste. Don’t dare to feed them
Potato peels are dangerous due to the presence of solanine toxin.
Avocados too contain fatal toxins like persines.
Beans also are not good for chickens due to the high presence of hemaglutin toxins.
In CONCLUSION, a well-fed chicken will not attempt toxic food consumption.
The best way is to occasionally and routinely feed them with a well-balanced diet commercial feeds. This will help them get the necessary nutrients required for optimum growth and egg production.