[dennis]

i was always toild that bread was no good for poultry
but i was reading a book ( avoiding the vet )and in ti to my amazement it said to feed bread
what is everybody else's opinion on feeding bread to their chucks

[joyfull]

I dont as it can swell up.

[nicky d]

i do feed it, always have done, wheaten or brown bread, i soak it though so its not fed dry,  its only fed to them as a treat though x

[Brushcutter]

Too much bread and the chickens build up fat around the heart, not good. Only in strict moderation, soaked as mentioned above. They do love it though, and its great for getting them tame.

[Lindeggs]

My Mum never let me feed bread to the ducks because she said balls of soft white bread can block the crop.  I don't know if this is true, or just an old Mother's tale!

Bearing that in mind, I do feed whole-grain bread to my various avian friends, but in small quantities and always with plenty of water and coarse grit available.

[Craig69]

I'm with Joyful on this one 

[dennis]

thanks for your in put
i was taught by a professional on how to look after poultry and was told the same as you said
joyfull but i know things have altered over the last 30 years so i thought i would get the opinions of some modern day thinking 

[Tigerwren]

I guess if you have stale bread, you could always soak it in some porrige and feed that way if you wanted to as then it wouldn't swell anymore...?

[orchardlady]

I feed bread fairly often but as previously said I always allow it to soak in water for a good few hours before it's given to the girls and always in the afternoons as a treat. I've never had a problem and have hens fed on bread who have reached grand old ages of 6 or 7 years old (hybrid hens) when their life expectancy is much lower than that.

[dennis]

ok i can see the point that if you soak the bread it will not swell in the crop but what food benefit does it have

[Tigerwren]

I think that there are probably better treats Dennis.  Unless you are making it yourself and it's full of seeds etc, I think I would stick to something a bit more nutritional.. green veg, corn etc as that's what my ladies mug me for 

Happy Christmas

[Lindeggs]

ok i can see the point that if you soak the bread it will not swell in the crop but what food benefit does it have

That would depend on what ingredients it contains.  I make my own bread so I control exactly what goes into it.  The one currently in the oven is my favourite multi-grain loaf.  It's slightly different every time but today it has oatmeal, buckwheat, rye flakes, corn meal, linseed and sunflower seeds as well as wholemeal flour and a little each of yeast, sugar, salt, milk powder and sunflower oil.  All ingredients are organic.

On the other hand if you were to feed most commercial white bread brands, there would probably be no nutritional value in feeding it to your hens.  There would also be no nutritional value in feeding it to yourself or your family.  

[Lindeggs]

I think that there are probably better treats Dennis.  Unless you are making it yourself and it's full of seeds etc, I think I would stick to something a bit more nutritional.. green veg, corn etc as that's what my ladies mug me for 

Happy Christmas

Tigerwren, you read my mind!  No mean feat from the other side of the world in opposite time zones! 

[Pertelotte]

Once a week I feed my girls toast with Marmite. And then stand well back.

it's proper bread, though. just flour yeast salt and water, possibly with seeds etc, depending on what I bake or get from the bakers. Nothing from the supermarket, mind.

[dennis]

thank for all your opinions
i think i will keep with my original teaching and don't feed bread to my girls

pertelotte salt in the food is not good for hens if you're making it yourself and want to keep feeding it to your hens why not make a separate one with no salt in it for your hens

that bead sounds delishious lindeggs is that for you or the hens