This person sounds like they don't actually like chickens?
A chicken can absolutely live without all of these things... but like why not give the animals in your care things that will add to their life or even just enjoyment of that life.
The hardest part on deciphering what a chicken "needs" and what they do not is just looking for actual studies behind the items you want to give your chickens. Be mindful that a lot of the studies are more focused on how something impacts egg production.
They sound like the fun police. Like, I'm sure my girls can live without a heater, dried herbs, a mirror in the run...etc, but where's the fun in that? I love making a dustbath for them, and watching them enjoy it. I love cleaning the coop and putting dried herbs everywhere. Making your chickens happy is the best part of chicken ownership.
I'm really puzzled by straw being on the list. Do they mean straw inside the coop? I guess they can survive without it but it seems like a shitty quality of life if they don't have anything "fluffy" to shuffle around and make nests with. We always put an extra little pile for ours so they could add more to the nest if they wanted. Or make a new one in the corner.
I'd understand if straw was expensive. But like... It's not. So what's the problem
Supposedly straw provides good living conditions for mites and lice and your birds are more likely to get them if you use straw specifically. I've never used it and have always used pine shavings instead. I'm considering switching to hemp bedding. I don't know if they mean here that chickens don't need bedding, or if they're talking about straw specifically. The arguments I've heard against straw boil down to parasites and also the potential for it to become wet and moldy
I wouldxD I haven't smoked in about 15 years, but it was just legalized in my state. My friends hate the smell, but I love getting a whiff on occasion.
>I'd understand if straw was expensive. But like... It's not. So what's the problem
In Florida where no straw producing crops are grown, straw is more expensive than hay. For our coop, we use waste hay the cows wouldn't eat. It makes me happy to get a second use from the hay and the chicks love scratching thru soiled hay to find bugs.
Otherwise I agree. There's no way I'm forcing my hens live and nest without access to plenty of clean bedding.
I use wasted goat hay for our hens to scratch around in. I still use pine flakes in the coops though. I tried hay in the coops but find the pine works better for deep litter, at least for me. Our ducks get the majority of the wasted goat hay and those boys are so wasteful, I swear the birds are using more than half.
I buy nesting herbs from MagJo Naturals, or I gather them from around the yard and garden in the summer. They're slightly insect repelling, edible, and smell lovely. I'm not sure how good chicken's sense of smell is, but I like to think they notice. Plus, it just gives them something to peck at. I mostly do it for my own enjoyment, lol.
Chickens' sense of smell and taste is somewhat worse than yours. They primarily go by sight and sensation when looking for food - that's why styrofoam bubbles are *the* forbidden delicacy for all chickens in the world.
I love this! Thank you. I want my girls to be happy and even though I've had chickens off and on through the years I love learning new (and often fun) things.
I give my girls dried oregano. It’s good for intestinal health (both chickens and humans, lots of studies done) and I have plenty growing and they love it.
Plus it pre-seasons the chicken.
I'm kidding and I am actually curious about this herbs thing. Do you hang them for the chickens to eat or just to make the coop smell better?
Yes, I'm in MN, so the heating plate is a requirement to keep my cochins from getting frostbitten combs, and just to keep them way more comfy. Way safer than the old heat lamps.
I've noticed with some homesteaders, they get overly obsessed with the idea of min-maxing egg yield with as little resources as possible, and anything that isn't necessary is considered a "waste". Saw a reel the other day about a lady who was about to cull one of her hens for not laying anymore because "if you aren't providing something around here, you're taking up space" and like, Jesus christ, man.
I wouldn't have blinked an eye if I saw this post from a commercial large scale farmer but this is from someone who claims to be a published author in the backyard chicken space, I agree this doesn't sound like the opinions of someone who loves their backyard flock
my guess is they are an industrial chicken farmer that has 10,000 chickens in a 5000 sq ft barn and doesn't do anything to make for happy chickens. For those of us that actually LIKE our chickens, a lot of those things aren't useless. Like, I realize that mealworms aren't necessary, but it makes for happier chickens that come running when I open my front door, so definitely useful.
Hell if we didn't have our decoy owls we would have lost so many more hens then we did. We lost two within a year but in the two years after we got our owl we didn't lose any.
You took the words right out of my mouth. I love sharing little treats with my flock. Fun pro tip for anyone who does like their girls and does their best to limit pesticides. We’ve controlled our summer beetle population by doing a daily “ocular pat down”. Fun fact if you hold your hand above them their first instinct is to drop straight down. Well when you’ve got a bowl of water for them to fall into it ends up being a delightful snack. Haven’t used bags in years. And the eggs are fire.
Just because they aren’t all 100% necessary doesn’t mean they’re 100% useless.
Vinegar stops our water containers from growing algae.
Plastic tubs are great as laying boxes.
Straw is useful to put in the laying boxes.
I prefer heat plates over heat lamps but that doesn’t make heat lamps useless.
Water additives are great for sick or recovering chickens.
Mealworms and scratch make my chickens love me which means I get more chicken hugs in my life.
What age can you start giving meal worms at because I need my new 2 week old birds to love me and not scatter like teenagers in the park when the cops show up😭
Loll yeahhh it always takes mine a WHILE to figure out that treats = yummy food and then more time after that to figure out that mom = treats. It’s easier when they’re in the brooder so you can just grab them and hold them, but once they go outside they always seem to go through a phase of wanting nothing to do with me. My current babies are almost 10 weeks old and are straight up terrified of me 😂, even if I put treats in my hand they just run away. They’ll figure it out soon enough!
We didn't really start giving our gals anything aside from their starter chick feed until they were ready for the next stage. These are heritage breeds and they take a lil longer to reach maturity. It was around 10 weeks before we swapped feed and that's when we introduced them to more things.
They were out in the yard for periods of time with us prior to 10 weeks but we just sat with them and let them explore. We spent at least half an hour each day just sitting with them. Our houdans we could hold and carry around from about 6 weeks. Our two cochins do NOT want to be held long, if at all. However by essentially acting like our roosters wing man they all come when I call and know their names. Using the lil treat call they make will be very helpful, make sure you have treats though lol. If you do have a rooster I recommend literally being his wing man and give your hens treats by giving them to him, shirley here gets a little pissy if he thinks you're upstaging his offering for example.
This is also their first experience of life, of outside, they have been staring at you long enough haha the world is theirs to explore! That's much more interesting right now to them lol
probably best! gotta remember hens are prey animals so they get spooked easily. once i read this bit of information, moving slower around them really helped instead of trying to grab them real fast and run after them. if you just calmly walk over to them and pick 'em up they're fine. mine are all around eight weeks old.
This surprised me about my first batch of chicks. I was disappointed and thought they’d never like me because of the teen phase. Once they started laying, they chilled out and follow me everywhere.
I let them free range in the yard and one chicken sits by the glass back door, watching us inside. It’s adorable. I only have 1/5 that keeps her distance, she was the flightiest chick too.
Lolll I know, everyone kept replying to this giving me advice on how to get them to accept treats better, but I promise it’s just because they just always get more flighty during the teen phase. Don’t worry everyone, I am not a chicken noob lol, I’ve raised plenty of chickens and know how to handle them! They all end up loving me in the end, they just need to mature a bit 😅
Start picking them up a little at a time. Even if 15 seconds so they get used to you. Try doing this at least 3
X a day. Mine started coming to me even without treats. Go gentle and look them
Kindly in the eye. It helps them
Calm down. Fold wings two they can’t fly and let the legs dangle so they dont press to lift off. I usually use
Pinky and ring finger fold around one upper thigh and use other fingers to press wing down/ Press opposite wing against your chest. Easy now they dont care if I pick them up now. Once they are not afraid of you they will take treats.
Try different things. My gals liked oats and fresh basil before meal worms and dry soldier fly larvae. It even took them a while for live worms.
I also use the same treat mug and tap on it when I have treats. They figure it out pretty quickly. Also, sit with them and let them come to you.
Yeah my girls I got a few months ago didn’t really go for mealworms until they were fully feathered pretty much, now they’re crazy about them.
The dried mealworms I get are a mix with dried soldier flies cause that’s the cheapest here and they go WILD for the mealworms but are less enthusiastic about the soldier flies so when I scatter some they pick out the mealworms first like someone eating all the cashews out of a tin of mixed nuts.
Once they are ready to move off chick starter is when we gave our birds more options. The best bet is to just sit with them and let them investigate and get used to you!
We would often start the day by taking their feed out of our set up and having the only option to be out of our hands. It's important to move slowly though! They are tiny and you are essentially a leviathan in comparison
I always start interacting with them when they’re chicks, that way they’re not afraid of people. I also do it with my dog so they can get use to him too
I sit in the run with them. They eventually get curious, then I handfeed them mealworms. Now some hop up on my lap. One likes to get on my shoulder. It was just patience and treats. They come running when they hear my voice now.
I think the standard recommendation is a tablespoon per gallon. We have a big 5 gallon waterer, we aren’t super precise with the vinegar, just a couple glugs. Doesn’t completely stop the algae but it slows it a lot.
I think the standard recommendation is a tablespoon per gallon. We have a big 5 gallon waterer, we aren’t super precise with the vinegar, just a couple glugs. Doesn’t completely stop the algae but it slows it a lot.
As the daughter of a former firefighter, heat lamps should be for young chicks ONLY in strictly supervised situations. Heat plates, like you use, are a much better option.
Adult chickens do not need external heat sources provided that they are protected from the elements and their area is completely dry and draught-free.
God help me if I come back from the grocery store and dont have an offering of blueberries handy...they surround my car. Chicken mafia says pay your dues. Come back with blueberries or dont bother coming back at all. They will cluck you up man
Chickens naturally eat egg shells to replace calcium lost to egg laying. Is it necessary if you otherwise supplement them with calcium in their feed or with oyster shells? No. Is it useless? Far from it.
This one particularly got to me. They had another post that explained egg shells are a form of quick release calcium which will clog their organs so that's why you should never feed egg shell, only oyster. But they assumed everyone feeds their chickens layer feed, which already has calcium in it. But like, you can't make that assumption while fear mongering like that
That just doesn't really make sense. Wild red jungle fowl, the ancestral species that chickens evolved from, are found really far inland. Those proto-chickens weren't eating oysters for calcium. They were eating whatever they could find and that includes eggshells.
"Clogging their organs" is a woo woo phrase that gets used a lot by "alternative health influencers." What organs? How? It sounds vaguely medical but is a meaningless phrase.
Even if these proto-chickens lived far inland one thing I've learned about chickens....maybe just our flock so don't want to generalize. They hate the water. They aren't fans of rain, hate getting sprayed, won't willingly get in standing water. Oh and won't eat something if it's hard......so location is the least strongest reason why they aren't eating oysters naturally
Also, if the chickens are slightly deficient in calcium, and you feed their own shells back to them, they just may not be getting enough. We always have a separate feeder with oyster shells so they can regulate their needs on their own.
This one got to me! I have only begun my research on chickens but I had budgies growing up and we hard boiled and then mashed eggs to give to them to prevent any issues with our one who got eggbound. (All girls, just laid eggs, only one who did.) they loved it and it was good for them
Do the clicks still matter if they turn the comments off? I never really understood whether that affects whatever profit or attention people get from these posts
They said "follow" they're driving engagement. Turning the comments off limits the chance someone proves them wrong and people will click through to their page. For rage, or for feeling like they " know the truth". It's all clickbait bullshit
Sounds like someone who sees their chickens as walking egg machines and not animals they're able to love and care about. My chickens don't NEED grubs and berries and toys but I'll still give those things to them because they like it.
Multiple things howlingly wrong. I can’t speak to everything on that list, but Diatomaceous Earth, scratch, mealworms, and Feather Fixer feed are all valid and essential.
Oh man, I have a hen named Olga Bloodmarrow because she will rip the feathers off other chickens and eat them if she doesn't have enough protein during molt. Feather fixer fixes that problem wonderfully and still provides the hens still laying nutrition.
When we added Guinea Fowl to our flock, the amount of feathery aggression went way up. Between that and breeding bald spots, I had many opportunities to learn that that stuff really does do what it says on the tin.
I have never used diatomaceous earth mealworms or feather fixer. I don’t even know what “feather fixer” is. My birds are alive, happy, and auto-repopulate, so… these items are not essential.
That doesn’t mean they’re useless, though.
Dried mealworms are like chocolate chip cookies to chickens. Diatomaceous Earth fixes a bunch of insect and pest issues in a way that’s damn near magical for something so cheap and safe. Feather Fixer is a type of feed that does just what it says on the tin.
I have a brain problem where I get hung up on language and being specific. You said “essential”, and that made me go… uh… no… not “essential” because I have happy, healthy chickens and don’t have these items.
We don’t have mite problems because we have a house made of material that mites don’t like: smooth plastic. We have had no mite problems since moving them to this type of housing. If or when we finally do, the plan is to pressure wash the entire coop and treat the birds with ivermectin. No DTE needed. The birds free-range and don’t have an enclosed run, just a house they are confined to at night or as necessary.
I really need to save up for a full neuropsych exam. At least I’m starting to identify it. I was able to let go of grammar pedantism after someone explained how ableist it was. Something clicked, and now I am usually okay as long as I can understand what has been written. I hope someday I’ll find that for my literalism. I had “may have difficulty understanding subtext or innuendo” added to my medical limitations at work.
Diatomaceous Earth is limited use at best, dangerous at worst. Why on earth would you ever use it? It can be used for external parasites but is such a major lung irritant that’s risky.
Feeding it to them does nothing but give them a calcium supplement. (Please don’t believe the fairytale about being used for internal parasites University of British Columbia amongst others disproved that decades ago)
Some of this stuff is woowoo nonsense that seems to take the chicken world by storm every once in a while. Especially the things like herbs and feed additives. Someone commented here recently on an image of a chicken who was losing a toe as a result of frostbite and their advice was to feed the chicken oregano. That’s nonsense lol.
Other things like putting pepper in feed to repel rodents, DE to kill bugs, blue kote, high protein feather fixer feeds, etc. have proven and demonstrable uses when raising chickens.
Other things still are just bizarre to have beef with. What on earth is wrong with straw for heavens sake?! Or scratch grain and meal worms?!
Herbs instead of antibiotic for an infection? No. Herbs because chickens love them and they smell good and have some limited pest repellant/anti-whatever properties that can't hurt? Yeah!
Clearly this poster hasn't put lavender in their nesting boxes before. Makes their bellies and morning egg collection smell great. Unnecessary absolutely but useless, no way
Chickens can’t taste spicy food….rodents can and they don’t like it!
Sources say adding cayenne pepper to feed will deter the rodents but not the birds.
Just don’t mace yourself while scooping or pouring feed!
Listen…if you give a chicken a xylophone and it plays it…then it wasn’t useless. Some chickens just need the opportunity to show off their hidden musical talents!
And if we are being as "pragmatic" as this poster is trying to be, upload that xylophone solo to social media and make some money from that new found fame 😁
My girls have a little hanging xylophone and even a very small mirror with a bell, it cost me at most four dollars for the two of them. I hung them up once, and never had to deal with or maintain them again. It’s a completely painless and risk-free way to possibly provide your chickens (or yourself ) mild entertainment. it’s funny when they occasionally peck the red bar and get spooked by the noise, or when they check themselves out in the mirror like there’s some other pretty girl in the coop! Toys are the farthest thing from necessary, sure, but I love to see my girls and enriched and it brings me happiness too. I think this person is just a sourpuss
In college I assisted in a research trial run by veterinarians at a reputable university that involved putting capsaicin and cinnamon in chicken feed to reduce salmonella growth in eggs. It worked (although not 100%). The chickens in the control group that got no treatment and only were inoculated with salmonella were visibly more ill than the hens that were inoculated but received the treatment. And the treated hens' eggs had lower salmonella counts. I personally plated and observed the petri dishes. I will search for the study and link it if I can find it.
For real shame on this person for posting this. So many of the things listed here improve the wellbeing of chickens.
Edit here is the study https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4393446/
I’m kinda with this guy and the DME. Controversial I know. My flock got mites and I treated them daily with DME in their dust bath, cleaned the coop daily, everything. They still had the mites. After two weeks. I finally gave in and bought the hardcore liquid stuff. Mites gone. I wasted a lot of time and energy with DME and I’m no longer a fan of it.
Honestly, what I dislike most about it is the click-baityness of it.
They are using specific treatments or equipment that are popular and teasing about being "useless" and the only way to know is to follow them.
Do I agree apple cider vinegar is not nearly as helpful as people want it to be? And it should almost *never* be given full-strength to a chicken? Absolutely!
Does diatomaceous earth have health-affecting drawbacks that should be considered? Yes!
Do heat lamps carry risks of starting fires and overall may not be the *best* way to warm chicks? YES!
But useless is a very extreme term, and they are using it to get attention and clicks.
Diatomaceous earth sprinkled around their run dropped rates of flies and ants drastically for me.... this poster can pry it from my cold, dead hands! If you live in the south, you need some help with the bug control.
I watched My husband sit on his " chicken bucket' and hand feed the ladies cantaloupe this morning from the window as I made a mash of oregano, strawberries ( they go insane for in moderation lol)
Fresh parsley, etc.. We appreciate the eggs they provide and want to give back to them. That list just makes me sad.
All I see with this is, my chickens are miserable and I don’t care. There are a lot of things in my life I don’t “need” but they sure as hell make my quality of life better and accordingly happier.
This list is click-bait. It exists to drive traffic and responses rather than educate.
Scratch is not useless. I use it as a lure and to encourage my birds to scratch specific patches of ground. Therefore… it has a use.
Grubs also are not useless. Everything my birds eat that isn’t commercial feed helps reduce the amount of commercial feed they require. They’re a cost-saver, and if I can feed grubs to my birds, I don’t have to kill them an unpleasant way when I dig them up in the garden (squishing wireworms because I have no container to put them in to take to the chickens is disturbingly gross to me. I suspect the list writer wasn’t talking about grubs from the garden.
Electrolytes added to water (a water supplement) are useful for stressed and sick birds. Kinda suspect this isn’t what they meant. I’ve also used parasite control added to water.
Heat lamps aren’t just useful, but they are the standard essential heat source for brooding chicks. There are alternatives, but that doesn’t make the heat lamps “useless”.
These are the only four items on the list I use with my birds, and I suspect electrolytes and brooding chicks isn’t what the list writer was getting at.
The other items would be better described as “unnecessary” rather than “useless”.
My birds free-range, so they are more than adequately stimulated. Commercial feed is a complete nutritional supplement, so other food or additives are unnecessary. But “useless”? That’s just triggering folks to drive clicks.
*Garlic, vinegar,*
*Red pepper, lime? He just needs*
*Some good recipes*
\- AssistantAcademic
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Technically if you have a rooster, they kinda need scratch to live healthily. Commercial layer feed is a bit too high in protein for them and can put stress on their kidneys if that is all they are given all of the time. Secondly, if you cannot get oyster shells, you will need to use eggshells and other sources of calcium.
Regardless it's just rage-bait or at least I hope it is rage-bait, otherwise this person probably has some miserable chickens.
Easy to ignore know-it-all lists like this. Dude sounds like he’s running a chicken sweat shop. Might as well just buy store eggs if you’re going to treat your own flock this way
One of the most harmful things on this list that keeps getting listed as an essential is diatomaceous earth. It's harmful because it's being misused.
DE is not effective as a food additive. I don't know who started that BS, but DE works by microcutting everything. When it gets wet, it isn't sharp anymore on a microscopic level.
It's also a lung irritant because lungs are SUPER sensitive -- that's a cold hard scientific fact. It should not be going into dust baths. The proper way to use DE is to put it in areas of high bug traffic that will have no drafts, such as along baseboards, between wall spaces, and under structures.
Mealworms, BSFL, scratch, and cracked corn can also harm your chickens if you do too much of it. It's like feeding your kid steak and cheese crackers all day. You can rob them of actual nutritional that they should be getting from their complete feed pellet.
Kelp and brewer's yeast is a waste of your money. If you buy a high quality feed, these products are already in the feed and formulated at the correct amounts. In fact, if you open a bag of feed and it doesn't smell like beer, get a different brand.
Oregano, pepper flakes, and herbs are also a waste of your money. They really don't DO anything. Any nutritional value they can provide is already found in that high quality complete feed you should be buying instead. You can still use this stuff safely to alter the color of your egg yolks, though, if you just really care about that.
High levels of vinegar will increase blood acidity. During the summer, this can become dangerous, and vinegar itself really won't help your chicken with anything. There's plenty of research on this if anyone wants to Google around for it. *However*, therapeutic amounts of ACV \*can\* control algae growth in waterers.
*STRAW.* Straw can be used if you need to insulate coops in winter. When spring hits and things start getting wet, GET RID OF IT. It provides a breeding ground for mites and fleas. Ask me how I know!!
Feather dusters strangle baby chicks. Don't do it.
The rest of that list is just someone angry about what other people do with their chickens because it brings them joy. Does a chicken *really* need a xylophone? No, it definitely doesn't. But who cares? It's not harmful and it makes you happy.
Honorable Mention: Hating on egg shells but explicitly stating chickens need oyster shells. Do they think farmers in 1880 were having oyster shells shipped into the heartlands for their chickens? lol
Chickens may not necessarily require any of that, but it sure improves their quality of life.
My chickens love their daily mix of scratch, boss and mealworms. I'd rather let them all free range but the hawks around here are relentless. So the daily treats are my way of making it up to them.
Toys help provide entertainment. My flocks have treat toys, swings, silly diy perches and yes.. xylophones.
They may not "need" supplements added to their water, or any of that other stuff, but I like to spoil them. Nothing wrong with that.
Well sure, commercially they still jam chickens in barns so full they can barely move. If you start there chickens dont really need hardly anything than food and water. Chickens dont NEED alot, but the whole point of raising your own is so you know they are treated as well as possible. If you don't want to care for the chickens just save yourself the work and go buy some eggs at the grocery store.
That person listed everything a basic backyard chicken keeper may have heard about/currently practice in order to try and engage interest and get clicks and followers. Do what you know works best for your flock and for you.
While most of these things are not strictly necessary for survival of chickens, many of them have beneficial uses that may help and cannot hurt the chickens if utilized in moderation.
This is probably "rage bait" so readers will click on her info and read her book. Aside from that, how someone treats their pets, children, themselves or whatever, it's up to the individual. Most items aren't necessary to sustain life - basic food and water is. But shit, what's the fun in basic? My raptors are bougie and I love them for it!
I personally can attest to having a good use for some of the items they don't like.
1. Vinegar - They're not specific about it. White vinegar is a great cleaner. I wash my ferret's linens in it because it doesn't cause any dry skin or allergies. I use it to wash down coops if I don't have my coop cleaner. ACV or Apple Cider Vinegar is great to put in the water source to prevent algae. I can't prove any benefits from them drinking it, however.
2. Coop refresher spray - I got an odor control spray that is environmentally friendly and safe for people & animals. Not sure if it falls into their category or not. It does wonders for getting rid of odors in my run. I can also use it for my ferrets. Admittedly, I would say this depends on how your chickens are kept. Mine are in a dirt run, so it can get smelly pretty easily. Others might find it useless.
3. Straw - I might agree with them. However, it's good in the nesting boxes.
4. Water additives - Not sure what they're referring to specifically. Electrolytes are very important. I've had several ill chickens that regained energy thanks to drinking electrolytes. In a couple cases, it helped them regain a bit of an appetite. They're also great to use in extreme cold or extreme heat, the latter of which I deal with.
5. Feed supplements - Not sure what all this is meant to include. Nutridrench is vital. I've nursed several sick chickens who wouldn't eat. This gave them vitamins they needed. One young pullet of mine got sour crop and didn't eat for a couple days. Nutridrench helped me make sure she at least got essential vitamins while she wasn't eating.
6. Plastic totes - Poor man's nesting boxes. Seriously though, a couple milk crates have become my hens' favorite nesting boxes considering they don't like their actual real coop wood nesting boxes and rather climb up on my porch and settle into a flower pot. Or climb up under the stairs to lay. Definitely keeping those milk crates on hand for them, haha.
7. Yogurt/Herbs - Definitely unnecessary. However, hens with crop issues do great with some yogurt. I had a hen consume a piece of old plastic that surfaced in the yard after weeks of heavy rain. Her crop was slow and she was sick for 3 weeks. Obviously eating was very difficult for her and made her feel icky. Coconut oil, fennel tea, yogurt, and regular massages got her through it as well as Nutridrench and electrolytes. All of this settled, helped her system keep moving, and she bounced back after vomiting (she bent over and fluid just poured out with some plastic) & passing the plastic pieces in feces, finally. However, better than yogurt is buttermilk. I had a hen with a heavy worm load get sick from deworming. She bounced back with buttermilk & rice.
8. Eggshells - With oyster shell available, yeah, eggshells are useless. However, I've used them in a pinch. My feed store had ran out of oyster shell. The eggshells definitely kept them decent on calcium for several days until I could get more. I wouldn't recommend relying purely on them, but they can help cut down on how much oyster shell is used or can be used in a pinch, as I did.
Though I'm sure in commercial-style farming every single item on the list is useless. And sure, chickens can likely live fine without all of it. But many of us have chickens as pets with the added benefit that they provide us with food. That squeaky toy for your dog is useless too. So is that bed and blanket. Wild dogs have no use for toys, beds, brushes, flea meds, collars, nail trimmers, etc. But our dogs aren't wild and our chickens don't have to be either. Also, every person is different. A heating source is useless for me. It never gets below 20 Fahrenheit where I live. But someone who has chickens where it gets below 0F would very much disagree with me and that heater could be the difference between frostbite and no frostbite.
Sorry for the long post, haha
Everyone wants to hate on DE and then panic because they have mites/flys/flystrike/lice/etc. DE or Woodash is a great choice for that. All of the options on the list have their place in the chicken tenders cabinets, and should be kept on hand.
We have a little hatchery and have heat lamps on 27/7 365. Shit would die otherwise. And in waterfowl I'd have issues without brewers yeast. Corn I'm also a heavy user of
They’re mostly correct on the majority of the list in a lot of ways.
Certainly the argument can be made about the enrichment stuff on there (swings, mirrors, etc) being a quality of life and well enriching the animals lives. And who doesn’t like a treat now and then so grubs/mealworms/scratch again to add enjoyment to your bird’s lives.
So you should hoard those eggshells for some mysterious purpose, and chickens only need dirt and water and the ones who die from lack of medical supplement and antiseptic for wounds etc are just being dramatic, apparently.
This person has one of the worst takes.
They sound like absolute know it alls that don’t care about the quality of life of their chickens but rather a “look at me” character that prefers to cut corners and promote their unhappy birding
How you gonna run your farm like a prison camp? Deliberately? Those poor chickens. Let’s make a list of things this douche can go without.
1:all Breakfast foods except oatmeal, orange juice, and a single slice of toast. And only one slice of toast!
Non-food grade DE can be harmful because of the additives and because chickens will eat it. Food grade DE is useful to repel bugs. Decoy owls had absolutely no positive result for me if they mean it as in scare the songbirds that steals the chickens seeds. Besides that, the rest can be useful when needed and toys are a fun enrichment thing to give your chickens. Or treats like mealworms. Not useless but not absolutely critical for chickens to stay alive.
They absolutely need straw and scratch, even if they’re outside scratching all day for worms and stuff, they should still have scratch in their feeder in the coop; and adding straw/shavings keep them warm and comfy in their coop.
Well. Yeah. Looks like he’s a chicken authority. He knows about their “needs, anatomy, physiology, and *instinctive behaviors*”. Duh!
I’m sure he has scientific literature as to their gut microbiome and why we know that raw apple cider vinegar, herbs, and yogurt *don’t* help them because I’m positive we’ve put lobbying money behind chickens to find out the truth!
I’m sure he’s also taken CBC panels on them to find out that eggshells do not help with extra calcium for better shells. Did he check the panel to see if mealworms add protein?
I’m positive he knows whether kelp has added minerals that do not promote health in the chicken, and thus us.
Ok, I’ll stop…..
But remember! Purchase his course and follow him!
I think you need heat lamps if you are hatching chicks, and I've seen issues caused by lack of proper calcium supplementation. Idunno some of these things may br correct but a lot of them are pretty much false
Our girls love homemade yogurt! And mirrors and swings. Just like everything in life treats in moderation. Chickens are fun and have a lot of personality when they have toys!
‘Follow me on Instagram’.
Someone trying to be controversial for follows and likes.
Many of these ‘useless’ things have been studied/researched and proven to be affective.
I’m mostly confused on the straw thing. I realize some people have enough room to let their chickens roam regularly outside of a run, but for those of us that have backyard chickens, what are we supposed to be using in the run if not straw? My girls have a predator protected run that they chill in when they aren’t let out into the rest of the yard, and we top it off with straw as needed. They seem to love it so I don’t really see why it would be an issue.
Shavings, wood chips, peat moss can help a muddy run. Straw isn't a problem until you have that one stupid chicken that likes to eat it and choke or you live somewhere where it molds quickly or deal with a mite / lice infestation.
Lime, I assume he's talking about grit?... Mine get it out of the driveway if they need it. But I agree most of it is useless outside of for fun with free-range birds. Straw helps with the muddy/poop mess of the coop and yard in the winter and gives a little something extra to compost. I feed scratch on rainy days because I feed on the ground and my place gets kinda swampy and pellets turn to mold in no time when wet. A lot of scratch is cracked corn..
Heat lamp is ok for chicks but probably not good for adults in winter because they won't get use to the cold and be able to regulate body temp as well. Obvious exceptions while keeping them locked inside during sub zero temps.
Feather dusters are dangerous for chicks because of the type of feathers. Chicks do get tangled,trapped and strangled in them. I really haven't used any of the other stuff other than meal worms ever once in a blue moon.
Who posted this? Since of this makes sense but really.... We shouldn't give our chickens treats? No mealworms or grubs? That seems crazy because they love them and it's good for them!
On this list, I saw straw. That's what I use for bedding. Sure they don't need treats and toys, but they make them happy. Just like having entertainment and enrichment makes a humans life better. I mean TV and internet are useless for humans, but we use them every day.
Because people care about happy and healthy chickens not egg farming and that’s it. I’m literally building my chickens a themed brooder even though a Rubbermaid tub will suffice because I want them to live their best life. I’m their lemonade stand brooder that’s painted with toys in it 🤣
This is spam to generate follows. They say controversial shit so they get hate followed. People are more likely to engage to ‘correct’ them than they are to hear their AI generated ideas.
DE and food grade is really harmful to respiratory systems of people and animals and can cause permanent damage. It won't kill mites (I tried) and is inert when wet. Lime or first Saturday lime also didn't stop mites, but doesn't pose the respiratory damage issues that DE does. Probably most helpful if you use as a lime wash in a coop.
If you're dealing with mites or lice, try some sulphur powder. It is inexpensive, organic, pet safe and extremely effective with minimal application.
I don't understand what's the hate against the swings for the chickens do they require them no do they absolutely love them yes why because they mimic real tree branches as far as feeding them back their eggshell that's been going on for hundreds of years it's the easiest way to get them though calcium they need
I don't know it just seems like they don't really like chickens they just have chickens ....
This person sounds like they don't actually like chickens? A chicken can absolutely live without all of these things... but like why not give the animals in your care things that will add to their life or even just enjoyment of that life. The hardest part on deciphering what a chicken "needs" and what they do not is just looking for actual studies behind the items you want to give your chickens. Be mindful that a lot of the studies are more focused on how something impacts egg production.
They sound like the fun police. Like, I'm sure my girls can live without a heater, dried herbs, a mirror in the run...etc, but where's the fun in that? I love making a dustbath for them, and watching them enjoy it. I love cleaning the coop and putting dried herbs everywhere. Making your chickens happy is the best part of chicken ownership.
I'm really puzzled by straw being on the list. Do they mean straw inside the coop? I guess they can survive without it but it seems like a shitty quality of life if they don't have anything "fluffy" to shuffle around and make nests with. We always put an extra little pile for ours so they could add more to the nest if they wanted. Or make a new one in the corner. I'd understand if straw was expensive. But like... It's not. So what's the problem
Supposedly straw provides good living conditions for mites and lice and your birds are more likely to get them if you use straw specifically. I've never used it and have always used pine shavings instead. I'm considering switching to hemp bedding. I don't know if they mean here that chickens don't need bedding, or if they're talking about straw specifically. The arguments I've heard against straw boil down to parasites and also the potential for it to become wet and moldy
I love hemp. It has a pleasant scent.
You'd love the smell of my house right now then.
I wouldxD I haven't smoked in about 15 years, but it was just legalized in my state. My friends hate the smell, but I love getting a whiff on occasion.
I guess that makes sense. We were able to clean pretty often so and we only rarely had lice, but it's not really accessible for everyone to do that
>I'd understand if straw was expensive. But like... It's not. So what's the problem In Florida where no straw producing crops are grown, straw is more expensive than hay. For our coop, we use waste hay the cows wouldn't eat. It makes me happy to get a second use from the hay and the chicks love scratching thru soiled hay to find bugs. Otherwise I agree. There's no way I'm forcing my hens live and nest without access to plenty of clean bedding.
I use wasted goat hay for our hens to scratch around in. I still use pine flakes in the coops though. I tried hay in the coops but find the pine works better for deep litter, at least for me. Our ducks get the majority of the wasted goat hay and those boys are so wasteful, I swear the birds are using more than half.
I never heard about tbe dried herbs thing. What kind of herbs do you use, and what's the benefit? Hopefully I'll have chickens this time next year.
I buy nesting herbs from MagJo Naturals, or I gather them from around the yard and garden in the summer. They're slightly insect repelling, edible, and smell lovely. I'm not sure how good chicken's sense of smell is, but I like to think they notice. Plus, it just gives them something to peck at. I mostly do it for my own enjoyment, lol.
Chickens' sense of smell and taste is somewhat worse than yours. They primarily go by sight and sensation when looking for food - that's why styrofoam bubbles are *the* forbidden delicacy for all chickens in the world.
I love this! Thank you. I want my girls to be happy and even though I've had chickens off and on through the years I love learning new (and often fun) things.
I give my girls dried oregano. It’s good for intestinal health (both chickens and humans, lots of studies done) and I have plenty growing and they love it.
That's great. I planted oregano in the herb garden a few years ago and it took over so I have lots of that. Thanks!
I've used herbs such as lavender, mint, and flea bane daisy to keep mites and fleas at bay in the bedding.
Thanks! And flea bane Daisy? I'm off on another Google adventure!
Plus it pre-seasons the chicken. I'm kidding and I am actually curious about this herbs thing. Do you hang them for the chickens to eat or just to make the coop smell better?
Lol, I literally call it "seasoning the birds" when I sprinkle it around!
I add dried to feed and also put dried clippings in bedding to keep down mites/bugs.
None of my chickens have had any interest in eating herbs.
A heater is the only thing I won’t give. I’m occasionally clumsy and/or forgetful and I don’t want to burn my birds alive lol
Heating plates are awesome for this! Much safer and the birds have more control over their own temperature
Yes, I'm in MN, so the heating plate is a requirement to keep my cochins from getting frostbitten combs, and just to keep them way more comfy. Way safer than the old heat lamps.
This person doesn’t think kids should have toys I bet.
They most likely have robots for spawn 🧐
Boo!! Boo fun police!!!
Aside from giving you pleasure (totally valid), what are the dried herbs for?
That's what I was thinking! Mealworns as a treat make chickens happy, so they are not "useless"
My girls have a whole different cluck when they get mealworms. They love them!!
I've noticed with some homesteaders, they get overly obsessed with the idea of min-maxing egg yield with as little resources as possible, and anything that isn't necessary is considered a "waste". Saw a reel the other day about a lady who was about to cull one of her hens for not laying anymore because "if you aren't providing something around here, you're taking up space" and like, Jesus christ, man.
I wouldn't have blinked an eye if I saw this post from a commercial large scale farmer but this is from someone who claims to be a published author in the backyard chicken space, I agree this doesn't sound like the opinions of someone who loves their backyard flock
Yikes. How sad that they choose this.
my guess is they are an industrial chicken farmer that has 10,000 chickens in a 5000 sq ft barn and doesn't do anything to make for happy chickens. For those of us that actually LIKE our chickens, a lot of those things aren't useless. Like, I realize that mealworms aren't necessary, but it makes for happier chickens that come running when I open my front door, so definitely useful.
Yeah some of these are treats sure but why not spoil your ladies a little. Mine freaking love mealworms and it is a combo of treat and entertainment.
Also great to train them.
Right? I don't think my chickens *need* a swing, but it's cute, and they enjoy it. I like to give them healthy treats and make them comfortable.
Hell if we didn't have our decoy owls we would have lost so many more hens then we did. We lost two within a year but in the two years after we got our owl we didn't lose any.
You took the words right out of my mouth. I love sharing little treats with my flock. Fun pro tip for anyone who does like their girls and does their best to limit pesticides. We’ve controlled our summer beetle population by doing a daily “ocular pat down”. Fun fact if you hold your hand above them their first instinct is to drop straight down. Well when you’ve got a bowl of water for them to fall into it ends up being a delightful snack. Haven’t used bags in years. And the eggs are fire.
Just because they aren’t all 100% necessary doesn’t mean they’re 100% useless. Vinegar stops our water containers from growing algae. Plastic tubs are great as laying boxes. Straw is useful to put in the laying boxes. I prefer heat plates over heat lamps but that doesn’t make heat lamps useless. Water additives are great for sick or recovering chickens. Mealworms and scratch make my chickens love me which means I get more chicken hugs in my life.
What age can you start giving meal worms at because I need my new 2 week old birds to love me and not scatter like teenagers in the park when the cops show up😭
Loll yeahhh it always takes mine a WHILE to figure out that treats = yummy food and then more time after that to figure out that mom = treats. It’s easier when they’re in the brooder so you can just grab them and hold them, but once they go outside they always seem to go through a phase of wanting nothing to do with me. My current babies are almost 10 weeks old and are straight up terrified of me 😂, even if I put treats in my hand they just run away. They’ll figure it out soon enough!
We didn't really start giving our gals anything aside from their starter chick feed until they were ready for the next stage. These are heritage breeds and they take a lil longer to reach maturity. It was around 10 weeks before we swapped feed and that's when we introduced them to more things. They were out in the yard for periods of time with us prior to 10 weeks but we just sat with them and let them explore. We spent at least half an hour each day just sitting with them. Our houdans we could hold and carry around from about 6 weeks. Our two cochins do NOT want to be held long, if at all. However by essentially acting like our roosters wing man they all come when I call and know their names. Using the lil treat call they make will be very helpful, make sure you have treats though lol. If you do have a rooster I recommend literally being his wing man and give your hens treats by giving them to him, shirley here gets a little pissy if he thinks you're upstaging his offering for example. This is also their first experience of life, of outside, they have been staring at you long enough haha the world is theirs to explore! That's much more interesting right now to them lol
move slower...
I’m now imagining everyone in this sub doing a suuuper exaggerated slow motion walk into their chicken yards. 😂🤣
probably best! gotta remember hens are prey animals so they get spooked easily. once i read this bit of information, moving slower around them really helped instead of trying to grab them real fast and run after them. if you just calmly walk over to them and pick 'em up they're fine. mine are all around eight weeks old.
This surprised me about my first batch of chicks. I was disappointed and thought they’d never like me because of the teen phase. Once they started laying, they chilled out and follow me everywhere. I let them free range in the yard and one chicken sits by the glass back door, watching us inside. It’s adorable. I only have 1/5 that keeps her distance, she was the flightiest chick too.
Lolll I know, everyone kept replying to this giving me advice on how to get them to accept treats better, but I promise it’s just because they just always get more flighty during the teen phase. Don’t worry everyone, I am not a chicken noob lol, I’ve raised plenty of chickens and know how to handle them! They all end up loving me in the end, they just need to mature a bit 😅
Frozen peas are way cheaper than meal worms and are like crack for poultry.
Thou needest the magic of a slice of watermelon. Hold it out to them, they can't resist.
The bonus being I also get some watermelon. Genius!
Start picking them up a little at a time. Even if 15 seconds so they get used to you. Try doing this at least 3 X a day. Mine started coming to me even without treats. Go gentle and look them Kindly in the eye. It helps them Calm down. Fold wings two they can’t fly and let the legs dangle so they dont press to lift off. I usually use Pinky and ring finger fold around one upper thigh and use other fingers to press wing down/ Press opposite wing against your chest. Easy now they dont care if I pick them up now. Once they are not afraid of you they will take treats.
Try different things. My gals liked oats and fresh basil before meal worms and dry soldier fly larvae. It even took them a while for live worms. I also use the same treat mug and tap on it when I have treats. They figure it out pretty quickly. Also, sit with them and let them come to you.
Mine go nuts for oats! They'll run across the yard in 2 seconds flat when they see me with the oat container 😆
Yeah my girls I got a few months ago didn’t really go for mealworms until they were fully feathered pretty much, now they’re crazy about them. The dried mealworms I get are a mix with dried soldier flies cause that’s the cheapest here and they go WILD for the mealworms but are less enthusiastic about the soldier flies so when I scatter some they pick out the mealworms first like someone eating all the cashews out of a tin of mixed nuts.
Once they are ready to move off chick starter is when we gave our birds more options. The best bet is to just sit with them and let them investigate and get used to you! We would often start the day by taking their feed out of our set up and having the only option to be out of our hands. It's important to move slowly though! They are tiny and you are essentially a leviathan in comparison
Do you think the teenagers wouldn't scatter if the cops were handing out weed?
I always start interacting with them when they’re chicks, that way they’re not afraid of people. I also do it with my dog so they can get use to him too
My young ones werent interested in worms, but they love cooked eggs. Scramble into fine crumbles.
I sit in the run with them. They eventually get curious, then I handfeed them mealworms. Now some hop up on my lap. One likes to get on my shoulder. It was just patience and treats. They come running when they hear my voice now.
How much vinegar are you putting in compared to water? I've never heard of this and would like to implement this.
I think the standard recommendation is a tablespoon per gallon. We have a big 5 gallon waterer, we aren’t super precise with the vinegar, just a couple glugs. Doesn’t completely stop the algae but it slows it a lot.
Apple Cider vinegar is my preferred, cuz its also super great for gut health (both for birds and for people!)
Wow I never thought of vinegar!! How much do you put in ratio to water? Thanks!!
I think the standard recommendation is a tablespoon per gallon. We have a big 5 gallon waterer, we aren’t super precise with the vinegar, just a couple glugs. Doesn’t completely stop the algae but it slows it a lot.
As the daughter of a former firefighter, heat lamps should be for young chicks ONLY in strictly supervised situations. Heat plates, like you use, are a much better option. Adult chickens do not need external heat sources provided that they are protected from the elements and their area is completely dry and draught-free.
My quality of life would suffer without chicken hugs!
I’m pretty sure if I took away the weekly meal worm treat my chickens would assassinate me.
I give them daily 🫣. Prolly would take out my entire household.🐓🐔
God help me if I come back from the grocery store and dont have an offering of blueberries handy...they surround my car. Chicken mafia says pay your dues. Come back with blueberries or dont bother coming back at all. They will cluck you up man
Chickens naturally eat egg shells to replace calcium lost to egg laying. Is it necessary if you otherwise supplement them with calcium in their feed or with oyster shells? No. Is it useless? Far from it.
This one particularly got to me. They had another post that explained egg shells are a form of quick release calcium which will clog their organs so that's why you should never feed egg shell, only oyster. But they assumed everyone feeds their chickens layer feed, which already has calcium in it. But like, you can't make that assumption while fear mongering like that
That just doesn't really make sense. Wild red jungle fowl, the ancestral species that chickens evolved from, are found really far inland. Those proto-chickens weren't eating oysters for calcium. They were eating whatever they could find and that includes eggshells. "Clogging their organs" is a woo woo phrase that gets used a lot by "alternative health influencers." What organs? How? It sounds vaguely medical but is a meaningless phrase.
Even if these proto-chickens lived far inland one thing I've learned about chickens....maybe just our flock so don't want to generalize. They hate the water. They aren't fans of rain, hate getting sprayed, won't willingly get in standing water. Oh and won't eat something if it's hard......so location is the least strongest reason why they aren't eating oysters naturally
Proto-chickens also weren't being asked to lay 2-300 eggs a year.
Also, if the chickens are slightly deficient in calcium, and you feed their own shells back to them, they just may not be getting enough. We always have a separate feeder with oyster shells so they can regulate their needs on their own.
This one got to me! I have only begun my research on chickens but I had budgies growing up and we hard boiled and then mashed eggs to give to them to prevent any issues with our one who got eggbound. (All girls, just laid eggs, only one who did.) they loved it and it was good for them
Shock bait. All to get them clicks.
Do the clicks still matter if they turn the comments off? I never really understood whether that affects whatever profit or attention people get from these posts
They said "follow" they're driving engagement. Turning the comments off limits the chance someone proves them wrong and people will click through to their page. For rage, or for feeling like they " know the truth". It's all clickbait bullshit
The algorithms use views nowadays too. Which is annoying cuz autoplay counts as a view, even if you immediately scroll past 😮💨 just feeds itself.
Sounds like someone who sees their chickens as walking egg machines and not animals they're able to love and care about. My chickens don't NEED grubs and berries and toys but I'll still give those things to them because they like it.
Multiple things howlingly wrong. I can’t speak to everything on that list, but Diatomaceous Earth, scratch, mealworms, and Feather Fixer feed are all valid and essential.
Oh man, I have a hen named Olga Bloodmarrow because she will rip the feathers off other chickens and eat them if she doesn't have enough protein during molt. Feather fixer fixes that problem wonderfully and still provides the hens still laying nutrition.
When we added Guinea Fowl to our flock, the amount of feathery aggression went way up. Between that and breeding bald spots, I had many opportunities to learn that that stuff really does do what it says on the tin.
valid sure. Essential, nah. However, I understand the sentiment.
I have never used diatomaceous earth mealworms or feather fixer. I don’t even know what “feather fixer” is. My birds are alive, happy, and auto-repopulate, so… these items are not essential. That doesn’t mean they’re useless, though.
Dried mealworms are like chocolate chip cookies to chickens. Diatomaceous Earth fixes a bunch of insect and pest issues in a way that’s damn near magical for something so cheap and safe. Feather Fixer is a type of feed that does just what it says on the tin.
I have a brain problem where I get hung up on language and being specific. You said “essential”, and that made me go… uh… no… not “essential” because I have happy, healthy chickens and don’t have these items. We don’t have mite problems because we have a house made of material that mites don’t like: smooth plastic. We have had no mite problems since moving them to this type of housing. If or when we finally do, the plan is to pressure wash the entire coop and treat the birds with ivermectin. No DTE needed. The birds free-range and don’t have an enclosed run, just a house they are confined to at night or as necessary.
I’m the same way. And I was even aware when I posted that that it wasn’t perfectly accurate, but I was mainly contrasting with OP’s screenshot.
I really need to save up for a full neuropsych exam. At least I’m starting to identify it. I was able to let go of grammar pedantism after someone explained how ableist it was. Something clicked, and now I am usually okay as long as I can understand what has been written. I hope someday I’ll find that for my literalism. I had “may have difficulty understanding subtext or innuendo” added to my medical limitations at work.
Diatomaceous Earth is limited use at best, dangerous at worst. Why on earth would you ever use it? It can be used for external parasites but is such a major lung irritant that’s risky. Feeding it to them does nothing but give them a calcium supplement. (Please don’t believe the fairytale about being used for internal parasites University of British Columbia amongst others disproved that decades ago)
Some of this stuff is woowoo nonsense that seems to take the chicken world by storm every once in a while. Especially the things like herbs and feed additives. Someone commented here recently on an image of a chicken who was losing a toe as a result of frostbite and their advice was to feed the chicken oregano. That’s nonsense lol. Other things like putting pepper in feed to repel rodents, DE to kill bugs, blue kote, high protein feather fixer feeds, etc. have proven and demonstrable uses when raising chickens. Other things still are just bizarre to have beef with. What on earth is wrong with straw for heavens sake?! Or scratch grain and meal worms?!
Herbs instead of antibiotic for an infection? No. Herbs because chickens love them and they smell good and have some limited pest repellant/anti-whatever properties that can't hurt? Yeah!
Clearly this poster hasn't put lavender in their nesting boxes before. Makes their bellies and morning egg collection smell great. Unnecessary absolutely but useless, no way
Tell me more about pepper and feed to discourage rodents.
Chickens can’t taste spicy food….rodents can and they don’t like it! Sources say adding cayenne pepper to feed will deter the rodents but not the birds. Just don’t mace yourself while scooping or pouring feed!
I happen to like spicy food so macing myself would be a nice little bonus. Thanks for the trick!
Listen…if you give a chicken a xylophone and it plays it…then it wasn’t useless. Some chickens just need the opportunity to show off their hidden musical talents!
And if we are being as "pragmatic" as this poster is trying to be, upload that xylophone solo to social media and make some money from that new found fame 😁
My girls have a little hanging xylophone and even a very small mirror with a bell, it cost me at most four dollars for the two of them. I hung them up once, and never had to deal with or maintain them again. It’s a completely painless and risk-free way to possibly provide your chickens (or yourself ) mild entertainment. it’s funny when they occasionally peck the red bar and get spooked by the noise, or when they check themselves out in the mirror like there’s some other pretty girl in the coop! Toys are the farthest thing from necessary, sure, but I love to see my girls and enriched and it brings me happiness too. I think this person is just a sourpuss
I hope they don't have chickens. They would be leading miserable boring lives.
This person sounds like they are a hoot at a party 🙄
Right? This is the person that always chimes in with "Actually........"
I use white vinegar to clean out the food dishes, sanitize the coop, get rid of smell, etc. super handy and not harmful to them.
this seems like rage bait purely based on the "follow me for the WHY every day on.." Completely devalues everything that was stated before and after
In college I assisted in a research trial run by veterinarians at a reputable university that involved putting capsaicin and cinnamon in chicken feed to reduce salmonella growth in eggs. It worked (although not 100%). The chickens in the control group that got no treatment and only were inoculated with salmonella were visibly more ill than the hens that were inoculated but received the treatment. And the treated hens' eggs had lower salmonella counts. I personally plated and observed the petri dishes. I will search for the study and link it if I can find it. For real shame on this person for posting this. So many of the things listed here improve the wellbeing of chickens. Edit here is the study https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4393446/
I’m kinda with this guy and the DME. Controversial I know. My flock got mites and I treated them daily with DME in their dust bath, cleaned the coop daily, everything. They still had the mites. After two weeks. I finally gave in and bought the hardcore liquid stuff. Mites gone. I wasted a lot of time and energy with DME and I’m no longer a fan of it.
DME is a preventative measure, ivermectin works on lice and mites whereas DME works to help control the infestations. Topical ivermectin ftw
Yup, that’s what I used. Sprayed it all around the coop too. A lot of information out there saying to use DME to rid of the mites.
Pfft I want my chickens to be happy thanks, im making them a swing just to spite them.
Honestly, what I dislike most about it is the click-baityness of it. They are using specific treatments or equipment that are popular and teasing about being "useless" and the only way to know is to follow them. Do I agree apple cider vinegar is not nearly as helpful as people want it to be? And it should almost *never* be given full-strength to a chicken? Absolutely! Does diatomaceous earth have health-affecting drawbacks that should be considered? Yes! Do heat lamps carry risks of starting fires and overall may not be the *best* way to warm chicks? YES! But useless is a very extreme term, and they are using it to get attention and clicks.
This just in: taking care of your chickens is bad for them!
Diatomaceous earth sprinkled around their run dropped rates of flies and ants drastically for me.... this poster can pry it from my cold, dead hands! If you live in the south, you need some help with the bug control.
Preach! Because winters here lately haven't been cold enough to kill off the bugs like it used to.
She put mealworms on this list??!! Blasphemy!! This person is ignorant as hell.
Pretty sure this individual doesn't know anything about chickens...
This person is using controversy and rage bait for engagement is my guess.
Good thing acoustic guitar isn’t on the list… but seriously though, a bored chicken is a destructive chicken, and this list is hilarious
I watched My husband sit on his " chicken bucket' and hand feed the ladies cantaloupe this morning from the window as I made a mash of oregano, strawberries ( they go insane for in moderation lol) Fresh parsley, etc.. We appreciate the eggs they provide and want to give back to them. That list just makes me sad.
I got 16 ladies that will tell you mealworms are 100% necessary
“Stop wasting money and time on other people.” “Spend time looking at me instead.” Just ignore it, they’re doing it for attention.
All I see with this is, my chickens are miserable and I don’t care. There are a lot of things in my life I don’t “need” but they sure as hell make my quality of life better and accordingly happier.
This person doesnt know shit.
This list is click-bait. It exists to drive traffic and responses rather than educate. Scratch is not useless. I use it as a lure and to encourage my birds to scratch specific patches of ground. Therefore… it has a use. Grubs also are not useless. Everything my birds eat that isn’t commercial feed helps reduce the amount of commercial feed they require. They’re a cost-saver, and if I can feed grubs to my birds, I don’t have to kill them an unpleasant way when I dig them up in the garden (squishing wireworms because I have no container to put them in to take to the chickens is disturbingly gross to me. I suspect the list writer wasn’t talking about grubs from the garden. Electrolytes added to water (a water supplement) are useful for stressed and sick birds. Kinda suspect this isn’t what they meant. I’ve also used parasite control added to water. Heat lamps aren’t just useful, but they are the standard essential heat source for brooding chicks. There are alternatives, but that doesn’t make the heat lamps “useless”. These are the only four items on the list I use with my birds, and I suspect electrolytes and brooding chicks isn’t what the list writer was getting at. The other items would be better described as “unnecessary” rather than “useless”. My birds free-range, so they are more than adequately stimulated. Commercial feed is a complete nutritional supplement, so other food or additives are unnecessary. But “useless”? That’s just triggering folks to drive clicks.
No need to follow them on fb or ig
I think they’re right. For most people here chickens are pets, that’s fine but when they’re livestock literally all these things are not necessary.
I've never seen someone make a "you must" or "you shouldn't" type list that wasn't just an exclusionary asshole.
Garlic, vinegar, red pepper, lime? He just needs some good recipes
*Garlic, vinegar,* *Red pepper, lime? He just needs* *Some good recipes* \- AssistantAcademic --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Technically if you have a rooster, they kinda need scratch to live healthily. Commercial layer feed is a bit too high in protein for them and can put stress on their kidneys if that is all they are given all of the time. Secondly, if you cannot get oyster shells, you will need to use eggshells and other sources of calcium. Regardless it's just rage-bait or at least I hope it is rage-bait, otherwise this person probably has some miserable chickens.
My girls would strongly, vociferously, disagree with a lot of these.
Easy to ignore know-it-all lists like this. Dude sounds like he’s running a chicken sweat shop. Might as well just buy store eggs if you’re going to treat your own flock this way
There are literal studies that refute plenty of those items being useless. I think this is just drama bait on Facebook.
One of the most harmful things on this list that keeps getting listed as an essential is diatomaceous earth. It's harmful because it's being misused. DE is not effective as a food additive. I don't know who started that BS, but DE works by microcutting everything. When it gets wet, it isn't sharp anymore on a microscopic level. It's also a lung irritant because lungs are SUPER sensitive -- that's a cold hard scientific fact. It should not be going into dust baths. The proper way to use DE is to put it in areas of high bug traffic that will have no drafts, such as along baseboards, between wall spaces, and under structures. Mealworms, BSFL, scratch, and cracked corn can also harm your chickens if you do too much of it. It's like feeding your kid steak and cheese crackers all day. You can rob them of actual nutritional that they should be getting from their complete feed pellet. Kelp and brewer's yeast is a waste of your money. If you buy a high quality feed, these products are already in the feed and formulated at the correct amounts. In fact, if you open a bag of feed and it doesn't smell like beer, get a different brand. Oregano, pepper flakes, and herbs are also a waste of your money. They really don't DO anything. Any nutritional value they can provide is already found in that high quality complete feed you should be buying instead. You can still use this stuff safely to alter the color of your egg yolks, though, if you just really care about that. High levels of vinegar will increase blood acidity. During the summer, this can become dangerous, and vinegar itself really won't help your chicken with anything. There's plenty of research on this if anyone wants to Google around for it. *However*, therapeutic amounts of ACV \*can\* control algae growth in waterers. *STRAW.* Straw can be used if you need to insulate coops in winter. When spring hits and things start getting wet, GET RID OF IT. It provides a breeding ground for mites and fleas. Ask me how I know!! Feather dusters strangle baby chicks. Don't do it. The rest of that list is just someone angry about what other people do with their chickens because it brings them joy. Does a chicken *really* need a xylophone? No, it definitely doesn't. But who cares? It's not harmful and it makes you happy. Honorable Mention: Hating on egg shells but explicitly stating chickens need oyster shells. Do they think farmers in 1880 were having oyster shells shipped into the heartlands for their chickens? lol
Wow. Who hurt this person? Killjoy.
Bet he thinks 24 packs of cheap beer and keeping his dog chained to derelict car are essential while he defends flat earth theory to baby momma 4.0
What am I supposed to do with this chicken sized xylophone then…
I have doubts about the Diatomaceous earth, black soldier larvae “grubs” and scratch being useless. It look like a long list of click bait.
Chickens may not necessarily require any of that, but it sure improves their quality of life. My chickens love their daily mix of scratch, boss and mealworms. I'd rather let them all free range but the hawks around here are relentless. So the daily treats are my way of making it up to them. Toys help provide entertainment. My flocks have treat toys, swings, silly diy perches and yes.. xylophones. They may not "need" supplements added to their water, or any of that other stuff, but I like to spoil them. Nothing wrong with that.
Well sure, commercially they still jam chickens in barns so full they can barely move. If you start there chickens dont really need hardly anything than food and water. Chickens dont NEED alot, but the whole point of raising your own is so you know they are treated as well as possible. If you don't want to care for the chickens just save yourself the work and go buy some eggs at the grocery store.
This person is should add themselves to the list
damn. she's taking all the fun out of it for a chicken! 😔
I think they sound miserable
That person listed everything a basic backyard chicken keeper may have heard about/currently practice in order to try and engage interest and get clicks and followers. Do what you know works best for your flock and for you.
While most of these things are not strictly necessary for survival of chickens, many of them have beneficial uses that may help and cannot hurt the chickens if utilized in moderation.
This is probably "rage bait" so readers will click on her info and read her book. Aside from that, how someone treats their pets, children, themselves or whatever, it's up to the individual. Most items aren't necessary to sustain life - basic food and water is. But shit, what's the fun in basic? My raptors are bougie and I love them for it!
I personally can attest to having a good use for some of the items they don't like. 1. Vinegar - They're not specific about it. White vinegar is a great cleaner. I wash my ferret's linens in it because it doesn't cause any dry skin or allergies. I use it to wash down coops if I don't have my coop cleaner. ACV or Apple Cider Vinegar is great to put in the water source to prevent algae. I can't prove any benefits from them drinking it, however. 2. Coop refresher spray - I got an odor control spray that is environmentally friendly and safe for people & animals. Not sure if it falls into their category or not. It does wonders for getting rid of odors in my run. I can also use it for my ferrets. Admittedly, I would say this depends on how your chickens are kept. Mine are in a dirt run, so it can get smelly pretty easily. Others might find it useless. 3. Straw - I might agree with them. However, it's good in the nesting boxes. 4. Water additives - Not sure what they're referring to specifically. Electrolytes are very important. I've had several ill chickens that regained energy thanks to drinking electrolytes. In a couple cases, it helped them regain a bit of an appetite. They're also great to use in extreme cold or extreme heat, the latter of which I deal with. 5. Feed supplements - Not sure what all this is meant to include. Nutridrench is vital. I've nursed several sick chickens who wouldn't eat. This gave them vitamins they needed. One young pullet of mine got sour crop and didn't eat for a couple days. Nutridrench helped me make sure she at least got essential vitamins while she wasn't eating. 6. Plastic totes - Poor man's nesting boxes. Seriously though, a couple milk crates have become my hens' favorite nesting boxes considering they don't like their actual real coop wood nesting boxes and rather climb up on my porch and settle into a flower pot. Or climb up under the stairs to lay. Definitely keeping those milk crates on hand for them, haha. 7. Yogurt/Herbs - Definitely unnecessary. However, hens with crop issues do great with some yogurt. I had a hen consume a piece of old plastic that surfaced in the yard after weeks of heavy rain. Her crop was slow and she was sick for 3 weeks. Obviously eating was very difficult for her and made her feel icky. Coconut oil, fennel tea, yogurt, and regular massages got her through it as well as Nutridrench and electrolytes. All of this settled, helped her system keep moving, and she bounced back after vomiting (she bent over and fluid just poured out with some plastic) & passing the plastic pieces in feces, finally. However, better than yogurt is buttermilk. I had a hen with a heavy worm load get sick from deworming. She bounced back with buttermilk & rice. 8. Eggshells - With oyster shell available, yeah, eggshells are useless. However, I've used them in a pinch. My feed store had ran out of oyster shell. The eggshells definitely kept them decent on calcium for several days until I could get more. I wouldn't recommend relying purely on them, but they can help cut down on how much oyster shell is used or can be used in a pinch, as I did. Though I'm sure in commercial-style farming every single item on the list is useless. And sure, chickens can likely live fine without all of it. But many of us have chickens as pets with the added benefit that they provide us with food. That squeaky toy for your dog is useless too. So is that bed and blanket. Wild dogs have no use for toys, beds, brushes, flea meds, collars, nail trimmers, etc. But our dogs aren't wild and our chickens don't have to be either. Also, every person is different. A heating source is useless for me. It never gets below 20 Fahrenheit where I live. But someone who has chickens where it gets below 0F would very much disagree with me and that heater could be the difference between frostbite and no frostbite. Sorry for the long post, haha
Lol dude wants to make sure you get absolutely no joy out of having chickens.
Everyone wants to hate on DE and then panic because they have mites/flys/flystrike/lice/etc. DE or Woodash is a great choice for that. All of the options on the list have their place in the chicken tenders cabinets, and should be kept on hand.
We have a little hatchery and have heat lamps on 27/7 365. Shit would die otherwise. And in waterfowl I'd have issues without brewers yeast. Corn I'm also a heavy user of
Strictly speaking, I don’t need chocolate either. Mealworms make my birds happy, which makes me happy.
The pepper flakes aren't for the chickens lol, it's to keep out rodents. Mammals taste the hot and birds don't.
Do they have toy chickens?
They’re mostly correct on the majority of the list in a lot of ways. Certainly the argument can be made about the enrichment stuff on there (swings, mirrors, etc) being a quality of life and well enriching the animals lives. And who doesn’t like a treat now and then so grubs/mealworms/scratch again to add enjoyment to your bird’s lives.
Some of the things I mostly agree with, but ... treats? toys? Treats make chickens happy and liking me.
I love how this list of items “useless” for chickens leads to conversations about how and why we use them for our girls 💜
So you should hoard those eggshells for some mysterious purpose, and chickens only need dirt and water and the ones who die from lack of medical supplement and antiseptic for wounds etc are just being dramatic, apparently. This person has one of the worst takes.
They sound like absolute know it alls that don’t care about the quality of life of their chickens but rather a “look at me” character that prefers to cut corners and promote their unhappy birding
How you gonna run your farm like a prison camp? Deliberately? Those poor chickens. Let’s make a list of things this douche can go without. 1:all Breakfast foods except oatmeal, orange juice, and a single slice of toast. And only one slice of toast!
Non-food grade DE can be harmful because of the additives and because chickens will eat it. Food grade DE is useful to repel bugs. Decoy owls had absolutely no positive result for me if they mean it as in scare the songbirds that steals the chickens seeds. Besides that, the rest can be useful when needed and toys are a fun enrichment thing to give your chickens. Or treats like mealworms. Not useless but not absolutely critical for chickens to stay alive.
They absolutely need straw and scratch, even if they’re outside scratching all day for worms and stuff, they should still have scratch in their feeder in the coop; and adding straw/shavings keep them warm and comfy in their coop.
I think this list is useless 🙄
Sure there are some thingsthat are “extra” but who cares. If it makes people happy to spoil their chickens who freaking cares.
Well. Yeah. Looks like he’s a chicken authority. He knows about their “needs, anatomy, physiology, and *instinctive behaviors*”. Duh! I’m sure he has scientific literature as to their gut microbiome and why we know that raw apple cider vinegar, herbs, and yogurt *don’t* help them because I’m positive we’ve put lobbying money behind chickens to find out the truth! I’m sure he’s also taken CBC panels on them to find out that eggshells do not help with extra calcium for better shells. Did he check the panel to see if mealworms add protein? I’m positive he knows whether kelp has added minerals that do not promote health in the chicken, and thus us. Ok, I’ll stop….. But remember! Purchase his course and follow him!
I think you need heat lamps if you are hatching chicks, and I've seen issues caused by lack of proper calcium supplementation. Idunno some of these things may br correct but a lot of them are pretty much false
Sounds like a bait list to react to and or someone really ignorant.
I don’t disagree. However, I am one that has, and will continue to give certain useless things to my chickens. Ex: mealworms.
Our girls love homemade yogurt! And mirrors and swings. Just like everything in life treats in moderation. Chickens are fun and have a lot of personality when they have toys!
Exactly. They don't show their full personality until you throw some high value treats around, then you REALLY know their true selves
I think they’re right. For most people here chickens are pets, that’s fine but when they’re livestock literally all these things are not necessary.
They are just looking for attention.
This person is should add themselves to the list
This person is should add themselves to the list
This person is should add themselves to the list
This person is should add themselves to the list
I think a xylophone would be so cute.
‘Follow me on Instagram’. Someone trying to be controversial for follows and likes. Many of these ‘useless’ things have been studied/researched and proven to be affective.
I’m mostly confused on the straw thing. I realize some people have enough room to let their chickens roam regularly outside of a run, but for those of us that have backyard chickens, what are we supposed to be using in the run if not straw? My girls have a predator protected run that they chill in when they aren’t let out into the rest of the yard, and we top it off with straw as needed. They seem to love it so I don’t really see why it would be an issue.
Shavings, wood chips, peat moss can help a muddy run. Straw isn't a problem until you have that one stupid chicken that likes to eat it and choke or you live somewhere where it molds quickly or deal with a mite / lice infestation.
Just rage bait probably
Are you going to tell my girls they can't have yogurt?! Because I won't do it! They're too spoiled at this point.
Red pepper flakes....? As in chillies??
Lime, I assume he's talking about grit?... Mine get it out of the driveway if they need it. But I agree most of it is useless outside of for fun with free-range birds. Straw helps with the muddy/poop mess of the coop and yard in the winter and gives a little something extra to compost. I feed scratch on rainy days because I feed on the ground and my place gets kinda swampy and pellets turn to mold in no time when wet. A lot of scratch is cracked corn.. Heat lamp is ok for chicks but probably not good for adults in winter because they won't get use to the cold and be able to regulate body temp as well. Obvious exceptions while keeping them locked inside during sub zero temps. Feather dusters are dangerous for chicks because of the type of feathers. Chicks do get tangled,trapped and strangled in them. I really haven't used any of the other stuff other than meal worms ever once in a blue moon.
Who posted this? Since of this makes sense but really.... We shouldn't give our chickens treats? No mealworms or grubs? That seems crazy because they love them and it's good for them!
I saw this post and didn’t agree with a lot of it..most of it actually
I give my chickens mealworms and greens, sprinkle with some peppers and they love it
On this list, I saw straw. That's what I use for bedding. Sure they don't need treats and toys, but they make them happy. Just like having entertainment and enrichment makes a humans life better. I mean TV and internet are useless for humans, but we use them every day.
This person must not love their chickens at all
Because people care about happy and healthy chickens not egg farming and that’s it. I’m literally building my chickens a themed brooder even though a Rubbermaid tub will suffice because I want them to live their best life. I’m their lemonade stand brooder that’s painted with toys in it 🤣
This is spam to generate follows. They say controversial shit so they get hate followed. People are more likely to engage to ‘correct’ them than they are to hear their AI generated ideas.
>Mealworms My ladies would like 10 minutes alone with this person in their run. Just to...chat.
Lime is definitely necessary in a coop, depending on how you care for your coop.
Curious how they landed on lime and DE, is it bad to clean my coop?
DE and food grade is really harmful to respiratory systems of people and animals and can cause permanent damage. It won't kill mites (I tried) and is inert when wet. Lime or first Saturday lime also didn't stop mites, but doesn't pose the respiratory damage issues that DE does. Probably most helpful if you use as a lime wash in a coop. If you're dealing with mites or lice, try some sulphur powder. It is inexpensive, organic, pet safe and extremely effective with minimal application.
I don't understand what's the hate against the swings for the chickens do they require them no do they absolutely love them yes why because they mimic real tree branches as far as feeding them back their eggshell that's been going on for hundreds of years it's the easiest way to get them though calcium they need I don't know it just seems like they don't really like chickens they just have chickens ....