Author Topic: What do 'wild' chickens really eat?  (Read 8392 times)

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Offline Polyvore

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What do 'wild' chickens really eat?
« on: September 23, 2012, 06:02:12 pm »
There are threads on the boards here talking about how many bugs chickens love to eat, and that bugs are the chicken's natural diet (along with some plant and seed matter). I thought I would share some research I did today with everyone, because whilst I thought chickens were a domesticated turkey I found out otherwise:

"http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_541_2004-12-24.html
The Red Junglefowl, formally known as Gallus gallus, is one of four species in the genus Gallus. Its significance arises from the fact that it is the wild ancestor of the domestic chicken. "

"Diet
Junglefowls are omnivorous by nature. The staple diet is insects, especially termites and winged ants which emerge at dawn and dusk. It also rakes the ground in search for invertebrates and seeds. They forage in large parties which may consist of more than a single family group."

So, you are all so right! Chickens are not meant to eat our domesticated grain, or even our domesticated vegetables! They are meant to be eating mostly insects, and a little bit of wild seeds! Insects and seeds...

Offline goodsamaritan

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Re: What do 'wild' chickens really eat?
« Reply #1 on: September 23, 2012, 06:29:20 pm »
Our chickens in our garden just love bugs and worms and raw fat and raw meat.  Also vegetation and a few grains of rice. 

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Offline jessica

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Re: What do 'wild' chickens really eat?
« Reply #2 on: September 24, 2012, 02:55:07 am »
i just watched ours search out bits of beats and carrots from a pile of greens...they know and want whatever is the most  nutritionally and/or calorically dense

Offline CS

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Re: What do 'wild' chickens really eat?
« Reply #3 on: September 24, 2012, 03:47:39 am »
Aajonus states in a recent article that he's found that chickens are vultures and they prefer raw, even rotting, meat. He states that they resort to picking out bugs if no carcasses can be found.

Offline Alive

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Re: What do 'wild' chickens really eat?
« Reply #4 on: September 24, 2012, 04:12:22 am »
Our hens also love nail clippings

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Re: What do 'wild' chickens really eat?
« Reply #5 on: September 24, 2012, 10:16:36 am »
Lol, really Alive?

The carcass thing is big on our farm. The chickens will even risk the ire/agression (which could mean death if they push it far enough) of my dogs. Today, the butcher I get cheap offal from to feed my dogs raw also had a deer head and some carcass bits (spine, some ribs, head, legs, (which I cracked for some heavenly marrow!)) since bow season just started, and I gave a piece to each of the dogs when I got home. The chickens surrounded them immediately and pressured them for any scraps they can get. Sometimes the dogs tolerate them, other times they're pretty testy and will snarl and chase them off. But you can be sure, once the dogs have taken as much meat as they can off of hard to reach bones like the spine, the chickens will immediately come in and clean them till there's nothing left. If the chickens have their preference, it is for meat first, then bugs, then everything else (veggies, milk/whey) fruit, seeds, etc). I don't know that they simply prefer meat to bugs, or if it's just that meat is sitting there right in front of them, whereas they have to go out and chase the bugs. Our chickens are pretty lazy/chill, if they have the option to stay in the greater barn yard area and be fed as opposed to having to roam the fields for grain and bugs, they will always choose the yard. In fact, the only time they'll wander more than 75 yards from the coop is if we stop feeding them anything altogether. Geez, rough life! lol But I loooove them so much, all our animals, SO blessed to have clean, fresh, untampered-with, food.
« Last Edit: September 24, 2012, 01:27:01 pm by TylerDurden »

Offline jessica

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Re: What do 'wild' chickens really eat?
« Reply #6 on: September 24, 2012, 11:23:47 am »
my chickens last year definitely hung out under the pigs as they were being slaughtered in the field and pecked all the blood and coagulation they could, i was so proud lol

Offline goodsamaritan

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Re: What do 'wild' chickens really eat?
« Reply #7 on: September 24, 2012, 01:39:55 pm »
my chickens last year definitely hung out under the pigs as they were being slaughtered in the field and pecked all the blood and coagulation they could, i was so proud lol

Oh yes, I remember when our wild boar was slaughtered my chickens did the same thing.
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Offline Alive

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Re: What do 'wild' chickens really eat?
« Reply #8 on: September 24, 2012, 03:32:15 pm »
@Thoth, yes our hens are totally free range and when clipping my nails on the deck they ran over & keenly ate them. So now I always clip my nails for them. They were very lucky today as they enjoyed a very maggoty high meat situation

They don't like the pole my son gave them to roost on, so tonight they have decided to sleep on an old TV:


CitrusHigh

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Re: What do 'wild' chickens really eat?
« Reply #9 on: September 24, 2012, 05:18:31 pm »
Lol, BEST use for a tv! Sad when a device is more beneficial as a chicken perch than the function for which it was originally purposed!

Offline Löwenherz

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Re: What do 'wild' chickens really eat?
« Reply #10 on: September 24, 2012, 09:21:27 pm »
It's so much fun to watch chickens. :-)

Chickens are usually intensively bred for egg production.

I wonder how many eggs such domesticated animals lay if they are free to roam in a big garden and get additional leftovers from slaughtered grass-fed ruminants plus some vegetable matter but ZERO grains to ensure a proper omega 3 / 6 ratio.

Does anybody know?

As far as I know egg production goes down significantly but how much? I love the taste of raw eggs but I stopped eating eggs many years ago due to adverse reactions. I'm pretty sure that grain feeding is the underlying cause.

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