Guy at TSC recommended some bird seed to me for my chickens a/ flaxseed oil in it. Is this ok to give to my girls in small doses as treats?

[007Sean]

Free ranging chickens are getting it anyway from what spills under bird feeders. OP is just feeding it as a treat, not their meal. I would never, ever advise raising a chicken on bird feed. They wouldn't survive most likely. I also don't add red pepper flakes but many, many people believe in those preventing worms and keeping rats and mice out of the feed, so they add those to their feed. Chickens can't taste the hot or spiciness of them.

DITTO!!!!!just because it says "for songbirds, finches, cardinals" and btw cardinals are songbirds, doesn't mean other birds can and will eat it too! If there was anything bad in it, I would not even think about feeding it to my birds....although, I don't think I would feed it to ducks.

 

[Debbie292d]

Maybe I’m wrong

Don't worry, this is how we ALL learn.

 

[StinkyAcres]

I wouldn’t it’s for cardinals, finch’s, and other songbirds. IMO.

It can be a good vitamin- and mineral-rich treat for chickens. And products marketed for wild birds tend to be less expensive than the same stuff for chickens.

 

[p4PaDuck]

Don't worry, this is how we ALL learn.

 

[Kiki]

I was chatting with the guy at tractor supply about chickens, and how they like seeds and whatnot and he was like “oh I have this, it’s in the bird aisle but the chicks love it” and so I got it thinking that it was great because it’s got a bit of red pepper in it and seeds and whatnot all in one. I plan to just use it to give the girls little handfuls. So I gave it a Google and for some reason googled flaxseed first and I am now reading that it can be damaging to their liver and/or kidneys..Is this true? Do yall think I should just not use this, or just in small doses and not every day? I uploaded images of the ingredients and the front of the bag. I don’t see why he’d sell it to me if it wasn’t good for my chicks, because most of the time those employees are so helpful and mostly knowledgeable, so I just trusted him and also he like handed it to me and followed me to the counter and rang me out so I may have felt some pressure haha. TIAView attachment 3783711View attachment 3783710

That is wayyyyyy too much fat. Return it, your birds will be much healthier if they never eat it.

 

[ChasingChooks]

I have added a small amount of cayenne to my fermented feed before. It's probably fine to have hot pepper in it.

 

[NC_Quail]

I’m no chicken feed expert but here’s my two cents on the peppers. Birds can’t taste spicy (capsaicin), so that can’t hurt them. If you have heard that peppers are bad for chickens, it’s probably because they are nightshades (this includes tomatoes and potatoes). Nightshades are slightly toxic, supposedly. However, I have read from many chicken-keepers that feed tomatoes to their chickens on a regular basis as treats don’t see any issues. Overall, I would say that a tiny bit of hot pepper in the treats (especially since it’s just for treats) wont hurt them. I can’t speak for the flax seed, though.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I would use it as a treat.
It's better than the low protein in scratch even if some other things are higher.

If I ate cheeseburgers every day and only cheeseburgers it certainly wouldn't be good. Having one every now and then is not going to make me drop over dead.

 

[Debbie292d]

I would use it as a treat.
It's better than the low protein in scratch even if some other things are higher.

If I ate cheeseburgers every day and only cheeseburgers it certainly wouldn't be good. Having one every now and then is not going to make me drop over dead.

I love your analogy.

 

[TwoCrows]

@KTay11 Chickens do love seeds! Lots of trace minerals, Vitamins like Bs and Es, and amino acids. Flax is wonderful laying hens, its good for their reproductive tract and warding off cancers. As an occasional treat, its a fine mix for your birds!