Treats for hens

Mine love watermelon, blueberries and corn muffins. 

It's good to give them things that take awhile to eat and a bit of effort. This keeps them busy and happy. This time of year you can give them half a winter squash, like a pumpkin, or cantaloupe, etc. For only two hens you want to be careful not to give them too much that goes to waste and molds or makes a mess of the run. I have ideas for how to give treats here: http://hencam.com/henblog/2012/06/treats-for-hens/

Quote:

Originally Posted by terryg 

It's good to give them things that take awhile to eat and a bit of effort. This keeps them busy and happy. This time of year you can give them half a winter squash, like a pumpkin, or cantaloupe, etc. For only two hens you want to be careful not to give them too much that goes to waste and molds or makes a mess of the run. I have ideas for how to give treats here: http://hencam.com/henblog/2012/06/treats-for-hens/

WOW ....... thank you for this post!!  They link provided is packed with wonderful information. 

Glad it was helpful, memechick. BTW, you're not too far from me.(I'm near Concord, MA - an hour from your Concord) I have a chicken keeping workshop coming up on Sept. 22. It's a chance to see what I do here and get lots of questions answered. http://hencam.com/events/

my chooks are garbage gobblers.  i havent found anything yet that they dont treat as a feast!

last sunday, i was completely amazed as they demolished the remains of a cooked breakfast that i made for my son and his wife and hubby, it consisted of haggis, fried eggs, sausages, bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes

btw - my son told me that i obviously thought i was cooking for 10 rather than 4.  LOL - maybe i was??
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by terryg 

Glad it was helpful, memechick. BTW, you're not too far from me.(I'm near Concord, MA - an hour from your Concord) I have a chicken keeping workshop coming up on Sept. 22. It's a chance to see what I do here and get lots of questions answered. http://hencam.com/events/

Hi Terry ...... I just signed up!  See you Sept. 22nd.

My girls love blueberries, cheerios ( I have to break them a bit), and lots of veggies.  They especially like mushrooms and tomatoes.  I have a husband and two boys who are very picky eaters so it's nice to be able to share the garden produce I grow with the chickens, at least!

Try out different scraps and foods with your chickens, sometimes there's things they prefer.  Carly is the only one who doesn't care much for the blueberries the other three go nuts for, so it's all a matter of individuality too. 

When I let my chickens out, they run straight for the swiss chard in my garden.  They have also discovered my tomatoes in the garden too.  Oh well,  I just have to get to the tomatoes before they do.

They also like it when I pick the japaneese beetles off my green beans for them.  It's like a crunchy little candy treat for them.  They follow me around my garden waiting for me to find something special for them to eat.  Grasshoppers are another bug they like, so when I catch one for them, the chicken races begin.  Another treat they like is the raspberries I pick for them.

Of course, their favorite is a piece of corn bread they get every afternoon, and if they don't get it, they pester and pester endlessly.  Spoiled brats!

I find mine LOVE watermelon!