On Apr 16, 2004, at 9:42 pm, thetasig wrote:

> Chickens are omnivorous - they should be free range so they can eat
> insects and rodents, etc., and have access to a balanced diet of
> vegetables, etc.  I vividly remember seeing some wild hens in Hawaii
> feeding on a dead boar as well as tearing at and eating leaves and bugs
> (moths?) from nearby vegetation.  Like early humans they roam and eat
> whatever they encounter that they like.

Thanks Mark- you found the answer before me.

I was sure I read somewhere that chickens eat a wider range of food
than just grain but I couldn't track the source.  I don't know how
similar chickens are to humans- and I keep wondering if grain fed
chickens suffer obesity, diabetes etc like grain fed humans.  Maybe
they get acne before they lay their first egg too.  (Ok that last bit
isn't serious but the first part is.)