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It's not surprising that fresh growing things are good for chickens. Of course, wiithout access to sophisticated resources and testing, it's impossible to really know exactly what the nutritional content is for the extras you give them. But, on a practical level, I try not to get too bogged...

It would be considered processed food, but not "ultra processed food". I've seen some people review to items like this as "minimally" processed food. Just like the tomatoes I canned yesterday out of my garden. Processed, but minimally so. It's still healthy food.

All very true. At bottom, I try to do the best I reasonably can for them. There are limitations for commercial food for sure. As I've said before in other threads, commercial feed represents the very cheapest possible way of keeping a chicken in good enough health to lay eggs for two years...

In my mind it is hard to separate out what they fed from how they are kept. I suspect that a chicken allowed some reasonable outside space will do considerable better than a caged bird, even if fed the exact same thing.

Unless the chickens do the work for you. If they prefer the sunflower seeds and canned tuna they might selectively eat less of the higher carb feed. But, I suppose it might depend on the chickens involved and exactly how much of the extras are being offered. My flock gets a lot of sunflower...

Very true. What I meant was that there are many types of UPF for humans that are intrinsically grossly deficient in nutrition. A careless person randomly selecting from a bunch of inferior products is almost certainly not doing their diet any favors. On the other hand chicken feed, although...

Thanks for providing the link. Two things struck me: "Fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome is associated with a surfeit of energy intake, regardless of the source, in birds whose exercise is limited. Additionally, this condition is observed primarily in females. With the initiation of egg...

I believe that a chicken fed an appropriately diverse, balanced diet of whole, real foods will be healthier than a chicken raised on commercial, processed food. I've read your article, and I think the way you feed your chickens is awesome. The trouble is, that doing so is difficult and...

Yeah, I can't see how large scale waste to feed operations are going to work in real world settings. For those who are in position to work with a local market or restaurant owner, that's a terrific, but somewhat unique situation. I've also read a story or two about someone who feeds their...

Interesting study, although the food waste ended up being pretty highly processed by the time it went to the chickens. Still, I suspect that human quality waste food probably is more nutritious then the corn/soy livestock blend. But @3KillerBs is right, that going to be a complicated set of...

If they got the brains, they are got a goodly amount of fat, but also an extremely nutritious treat. You have lucky chickens.

Yes. There is a big difference between giving your chickens say, corn oil, vs. a high quality protein that also contains fat. I think a chicken given access to high quality proteins with fat -- say beetles or even a hanging goat's head -- will naturally consume less feed. There's not a lot...

This sounds right to me as well. In times when the toads are burrowing or scarce, I think you could offer kangaroo meat 2 to 3 times a week and they will be good. Like humans they don't need Met. or other nutrients, in exact portions every day. They just need them in the aggregate over...

I spent some time considering a similar base mix for myself, but using peas instead of lupin. I concluded it was going to be short on amino acids. I'd love for someone to prove it otherwise, but it seems virtually impossible to provide all the right amino acids without an animal protein...

I read your article and thank you for putting it together. There is a lot of really good information in there. I have no doubt that your chickens eat better than most. I think the struggle for most people is they have limitations that prevent them from duplicating this. The biggest...

There is a rise in cancers among dogs, that most likely is contributing to decreased life expectancy. What is causing it is the subject of some debate. Beyond dietary changes leading to obesity and possibly some no quite as safe as we think additions, I've read a couple of different theories...

Interesting article. It makes me glad a use the chicken feet for broth.

It would be an interesting set of ingredients. Oddly enough, I suspect that at the end of the day it would resemble chicken feed -- with wheat and corn for carbs, soy for protein and some type of vitamin supplement.

This is pretty much my philosophy as well. I use flock raiser as my base but don't worry about it being diluted by food waste, grasses, weeds, insects, etc. I think fresh food is not only good from a nutritional stand point, I think that it helps with the mental health of the chicken as well...

Yes! Putting some dirt/bedding/grass clumps from the chicken yard was one of the best pieces of advice I read on this forum. I always do that now, and the chicks seem hardy and healthy.