You must know how important it is to know about chickens’ correct diet if you are the owner of such animals chickens.
Many times, you feel that chickens are eating everything while jumping here and there around the house.
They practically eat everything, even your home’s leftover foods.
Can Chickens Eat Mushrooms?
Yes, chickens eat mushrooms.
Photo Credits
Mushrooms are not a restricted food for chickens.
But you should not include it in their diet as more than a treat.
You can also give some other foods as a treat, whereas you need to avoid some foods strictly.
I will explain this in the succeeding paragraphs.
Mushrooms – Good or Bad for Chickens?
There are some poisonous mushrooms, especially in the fall season.
It would be best if you don’t feed this variety of mushrooms to your chickens.
They are toxic, which are directly dangerous for chickens.
Photo Credits
The poisonous mushrooms can be present anywhere, even in your backyard.
So, the chickens should not have access to such places.; otherwise, they will eat the toxic mushroom.
The other type of mushroom, which is not poisonous, is suitable for chickens.
You can include this mushroom in their diet as a treat on special occasions.
Too frequently, use or feeding in excess will cause digestive problems for the chickens.
The amount of unusual food or a gift should not be more than 5% of the chickens’ original diet.
You should provide the treat after the regular meal and not before it.
Clean Water for Chickens
As a chicken owner, you may already be aware of the healthy and balanced diet for chickens.
The more significant challenge is to provide clean and safe drinking water for them.
For hygiene purposes, drinking water is more important than the quality of food.
Photo Credits
Generally, the chicken gets sick due to dirty water more frequently than a balanced diet.
You might say that wherever you keep the water container, they can poop inside it water.
Hence the water becomes unsafe for drinking.
Frequently water changing increases your workload, and you may not be able to manage as it happens quite often.
To overcome this problem, you can put a wire mesh cage around the water container in such a shape that they can put only their neck to fetch water.
In this case, the chickens’ body cannot turn in such a way that they can poop inside the water.
The chickens will be able to drink clean drinking water as per requirement.
They will be able to protect themselves from dehydration.
Alternately, if you have a budget, you can install an automatic water dispenser for chickens.
Integration of New Chickens with Existing Chickens
If you plan to increase your chickens’ strength, you must understand how you will integrate the new lot with the existing ones.
Photo Credits
Many times, the current chickens do not allow the newcomers to become part of them their part due to the feeling of insecurity and difference in age or breed.
In such cases, conflict arises and may lead to fights among them.
To avoid this, you should have a correct plan of integration on new and old chickens.
When you bring the new chickens, please do not leave them in the same partition.
But provide them opportunity only to see each other but with no can not have physical access.
After a few days, when they become familiar with each other, you can have limited access to each other’s space.
But during this time, you need to keep a watch on both groups the parties.
If there are chances of conflicts, identify the problem creator, and remove it from the flock.
In this way, gradually, you will see that the new and old group have mingled with each other, and there is no fight between them.
Why impose quarantine for Chickens
When you want to increase the size of your flock, add new members to the group.
But it can be dangerous for the existing members.
New chickens are coming to form new places and entering into the original set up.
They may come with a specific disease or an infection, which can spread among the existing animals.
Photo Credits
There may be conflicts among the new and existing roosters, which may lead to severe fighting.
Hence, to avoid such a risk, you should put the new chickens in the quarantine facility.
The quarantine duration may be for a period of about 30 or 60 days as per the circumstances.
During the period of quarantine, you can monitor the behavior and living of the new chickens.
Any symptoms of illness or drowsiness, loss of appetite, dehydration, or dullness in their actions may indicate some sickness.
In this case, you can provide the necessary treatment to the new members.
But if they are not in quarantine, the disease may spread to the rest of the animals.
So, the flocks’ safety needs to keep the new chickens in a specific quarantine duration.
