Kitchen Garden Forum

Hopefully, someone can help settle an argument, is it ok to feed bread to my hens.And I dont' mean an exclusive diet of bread alone! Just the occasional crusts/slices tat are past their best. Does anyone know what it is about bread that they go mad for? My guess is that it is saltier than most of the stuff that they normally eat.
Regards, Essexboy.

Hi Essexboy, for all birds, I wet any bread I put out or it can swell in their crop,and cause problems I give mine a little wholemeal bread along with pellets, mixed corn greens, lettuce, veg and fruit, mine love corn on the cob past its best, bean sprouts, seeds are first out of anything like cucumber and melon, they enjoy squishy toms, Like us they enjoy a varied diet and enjoy pecking grass,and scratching pests and worms out of the soil.

Hi - the only bread that I would give to hens is wholemeal - and not complete slices either. Maybe just a half with a bit of the crust, then perhaps the other half a little later. I never give white bread - it just goes into a doughy lump that may block the crop - I just don't like to risk it. Anyway, I believe wholemeal bread is much better - both for humans and animals. (btw my husband disagrees and will only eat pap sliced white!!!). But you can't win them all.

Hi Essexboy

If you were to read the poultry websites and forums on this subject you would probably end up feeding your birds nothing at all

What I am going to write is not advice, merely comments based on observation and experience.

My birds' main diet is layers pellets and mixed corn twice a day. They also have and enjoy:

What we give them
Bread scraps (white or brown and never soaked)
Uncooked pastry scraps
Cooked carrots and leeks from making stock
Tomatoes
Any brassicas
Lettuce
Cucumber, courgettes, pumpkins and melons (seeds particularly relished)
Cooked potatoes

What they find for themselves
Grass (half an acre to range over)
Flies and other insects
Snails (but not slugs)
Worms
Young mice and voles
Frogs

My feeling about chickens is that they may be small on brain, but they are big on intelligence. If they have sufficient food they will not gorge themselves on what they enjoy nor eat what is bad for them.