What is a "treat" to you?

[NatJ]

I like the wording, but I can toss pellets to get that reaction.

And I can get the same reaction with a dish of wet chicken food (their usual food plus water.)

But of course neither the pellets, nor the wet chicken food, needs to be limited, even though they count as "treats" if you judge by the chickens' response.

 

[Brooks_]

I cannot.
I can't toss pellets and have chickens roaming two acres come running immediately..
I can however crinkle a candy bag.
It is really whatever works best for your birds .

Large land area could be the caveat. Most of mine are within 1 acre, but the outliers will see them and come investigate.

 

[rjmyooper]

I only have Ducks (<<notice the capitalization), so I give a handful of either flax seed (they love them) or a handful of dried mealworms once a day. there are 12 Ducks, so that is not a lot, but they know they are special and they react accordingly.

 

[townchicks]

These recommendations are guidelines. Just like with pet dogs and cats, which are also commonly fed commercial diets, some folks love to hand out goodies, and some keep it to a minimum or not at all. Lots of fat and/or unhealthy dogs and cats out there. You also need to keep in mind that a photo is just a moment in time, and lots of those treats such as cabbage are only given once in a while. Treats can also be "boredom busters" which IMO can be as vital to the wellbeing of creatures that spend a great deal of time confined, as a healthy diet is. Scattering treats around the run can provide hours of hunting and scratching behavior. I buy live crickets for my girls for that reason. Yes, it's a treat, but they also get exercise and entertainment chasing the crickets around. They don't get that everyday, either. Just use your own judgement.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

@Kiki
Share your expertise please.

 

[3KillerBs]

Scattering treats around the run can provide hours of hunting and scratching behavior. I buy live crickets for my girls for that reason. Yes, it's a treat, but they also get exercise and entertainment chasing the crickets around. They don't get that everyday, either. Just use your own judgement.

My sister, who keeps reptiles, breeds Dubia roaches and tells me that they have a much superior protein to fat ratio.

My chickens love them.

They are also willing to forage in the bedding for a handful of pellets.

 

[Chickassan]

Yes, there are a few things at play besides the large area.
Two separate flocks with one being older and terribly hard to impress with anything anymore so if I'm calling them in the only way they're coming is if it is worth it to them.
It's not like anyone is remotely hungry so that makes it a little difficult to motivate without getting creative.

Large land area could be the caveat. Most of mine are within 1 acre, but the outliers will see them and come investigate.

 

[townchicks]

My sister, who keeps reptiles, breeds Dubia roaches and tells me that they have a much superior protein to fat ratio.

My chickens love them.

They are also willing to forage in the bedding for a handful of pellets.

I might look into those, but I'm not sure I could get past the ick factor. I also scatter feed around sometimes, but they're on to me. Then I have to break out the blueberries to get back on their good side.

 

[Alagirl]

well, a treat is something yummie not always on the menu.
Or something yummie to make sure they come home at night.
Like the mush in the evening (just plain food plus water) or perhaps the scratch grains.

 

[Flair1239]

Maybe this is a dumb question, but asking anyway because I am a newbie.

I have read SO MANY THINGS about what to feed my chickens, however vast majority says to make sure the "treats" you give your chickens does not exceed 10% of their overall diet for any given day. Yet, in so many posts, I see lots of people with seemingly small flocks offering whole cabbages, whole watermelons, large trays of salad materials and fruit etc etc etc... So it just seems contradictory?

Do veggies/fruit/sprouts/cabbage/lettuce etc not count as "treats?"

It's amazing how far common sense will go towards keeping Chickens alive and healthy. My take on the 10% thing is that is probably "optimal". You can not be optimal and still have happy productive chickens.