Chickens Fav Treats!!!!

[HerbGir1972]

Today they got apples, apples that the squirrels generously take a bite or 2 out of and leave for bees & bugs.
Whatever they haven't eaten by this afternoon will get raked out & go into the compost pile.

 

[minnehaha]

Duplicate post...sorry

 

[minnehaha]

Mosquitoes.

I was working on the coop when a big swarm of mosquitoes came out of the trees and started eating me alive. I was slapping 3-4 a slap then suddenly realized that my bare legs weren't being bit. When i looked down i was surrounded by chickens. Carefully picking off every mosquito that landed on my legs. It was kind of funny and creepy at the same time. Not being overly worried about making sure the chickens got a lot of the extra treat i ran for the house.

I'm crying I am laughing so hard!!!!!

 

[evemfoster]

I'm crying I am laughing so hard!!!!!

Ah well, it wasn't funny until i got inside.

 

[tjl1388]

Not sure if it's my chickens age (roughly 3.5 months) but they seem to care very little for most treats. They love Kale and mealworms but turn their noses up to pasta, grapes and even watermelon.

Is it an age thing or is it because they're in a large tractor and get new grass and bugs almost daily?

 

[minnehaha]

Ah well, it wasn't funny until i got inside.

I imagine it wasn't, in fact it was all probably pretty creepy for you, I was a little rattled just because one of my hens jumped up and pecked me in the butt because she wanted treats

Which is nothing compared to a mosquito swarm attack followed by your little flock of Remoras feasting off of your legs....

 

[HerbGir1972]

Today is corn muffin day
I'll fill my mix with sunflower, quinoa, barley, & millet

It's not a birthday day but we're just celebrating everyone has survived,
and we've not had but 2 small incidences with illness and injury, since April (When our chicken madness began with one little Chick named Butterscotch)
We've also hatched our first set of homegrown babes, with another set in the incubator.

I've also been introduced to another incredibly cool looking breed, that is gonna make
me build another coop...LOL

So hope everyone else has a
Blessed August, 10th

 

[iwiw60]

Quote:

I'm with ya GF!! There's always a reason to celebrate!!!

 

[deputychicken21]

I built these simple raised beds and my chickens go crazy. I plant grass, oats, and wheat seeds similar to cat grass. It grows in about a week then I move the bed over and start growing again. They mow it all down in about 1 day.

 

[Kazfam]

My son has been raising meal-worms for years ever since he once owned a bearded dragon (who has since passed on).
Now he raises them for the chickens.

He started with a container of regular-sized worms from PetSmart (not the Super Worms).

You need a 10 gallon terrarium (or something similar) and a substrate to cover the bottom of the terrarium [they eat the substrate]. My son uses oatmeal (we once used small pasta and rice that had gotten meal moths in it). Put the meal-worms in the substrate - feed them a slice of potato (ideal) or anything that offers moisture - let hem grow and pupate. [Don't put too much moisture laden food - it will mold - fruit is not a good idea - it molds too quickly.]

When they pupate they look like fat, white, stiff, things. Leave them alone until they turn into beetles - the Darkling Beetle, black. Feed the beetles [substrate (if need to replenish)potato piece, lettuce, carrot] let them mate and the second generation will begin.

You will have many, many, many offspring (the substrate will look as though it is moving there will be so many).
These can be fed to the chickens when they get large enough.

Feed some to the chickens, keep some to start the cycle all over again.

Here is the cycle for identification: Egg, Meal-worm, Pupa, Beetle




Once you get it going it is fairly easy to maintain.

PS: found this link, pretty informative: http://www.sialis.org/raisingmealworms.htm#freeze