Hi from me and Marshmallow! This is part two of “How to Keep Happy Chickens”: what to feed them.
Why we use crumble feed
Chickens are omnivores with needs a lot like ours. Hawaii’s wild chickens forage for grain, insects and grass, but bigger birds need more than they can find. And many chickens are picky, so with loose mixes some get too little or too much protein or vitamins — a serious health risk.
So we use a compound feed — crumbles that no longer look like grains — so every bite has everything they need. (Want some, Cho?) Once I tried an organic feed with visible corn and wheat; the corn-lovers ate only corn, and some lost a lot of weight or stopped laying. A lack of vitamin B can even make their legs suddenly stop working.
The crop, and checking body condition
Food first goes into the crop, a pouch at the base of the neck, slightly to the right. After a big meal it can bulge — that’s normal. Our foodie Peanut Butter’s crop is thicker than the neck itself! Normally it’s empty in the morning, full at bedtime, and empty again 6 to 12 hours later. A crop that’s always full suggests illness.
With a slightly scruffy Purin’s help: feel the belly. The keel bone in the middle should stick out the most, with meat on both sides that feels firm but a bit squishy. Gently rounded is good. In a very thin bird, the bone gets so small you can grab it. Cho is a big bird, but molting used up a lot of nutrition, so Cho is now only a little bigger than Purin — so check often.
Treats, and what never to give
Their favorite treat is insects — high in protein, a boost for struggling layers or molting birds. Basically any vegetable or fruit is fine. We also give old or cracked eggs, cooked, shell and all, for calcium. But never give bread or rice: the sugar can rot in the organ where food ferments and easily kill them.
The two shrieking here are Shachi and Iruka, Pen-chan’s niece and nephew. Their mother, Pen-chan’s sister, lived wild and raised many broods. One rainy day she stood dazed while her chick cried with hunger. Her crop was badly infected. I took them both in, and when I rinsed her crop with salt water, out came moldy bread — likely someone’s leftovers. She never recovered. She’d have been four and a half by now, like Pen-chan.
Food and health are closely connected, so feed them right and let them live long. Next time: chicken health care!