Anyone have luck catching a feral chicken?? UPDATE: Rooster caught, no hen

[CSAchook]

I've read that they LOVE cabbage, so I ran out and got one then got out my husband's drill and bored a hole through the middle of it,

*side note- I thought that would be safer than trying to stab it through and through with a kitchen knife...

Ran outside to hang it up for them....

They stared and cowered in the corner.

So I peeled off a petal and tore it to bits and tossed it to them.

They screamed and ran to a different corner.

It hung there for four days until it got soft and wilty!
A few peck marks was the only sign of attention it got.

Guess they just weren't feeling it without a side of corned beef.

I hope yours like it better than mine!

My girls were also terrified of the fearsome cabbage beast... Until I tried to take it down. Once it was hanging from my hand it became instantly recognizable as food and they went nuts
In general, mine seem to prefer ground dwelling cabbages Less vicious and scary lol.

 

[Parront]

I wish I could find somewhere to get scrap veggies. I bought a bag of spinach last weekend and tossed them what we didn't use. I've been looking for discount veggies, but they're rare around here.

You could try just looking behind the store, especially stores like Whole Foods, with high prices. They throw away a lot. Some in big city areas lock up the dumpsters, to keep the people out!

 

[Parront]

My girls were also terrified of the fearsome cabbage beast... Until I tried to take it down. Once it was hanging from my hand it became instantly recognizable as food and they went nuts
In general, mine seem to prefer ground dwelling cabbages Less vicious and scary lol.

I never hung any veggies, but did hang scraps from pig butchering. They knew that was food! Put about a pound in the freezer with string wrapped around it, freeze hard, and the chickens will peck it as it thaws. It only lasted about an hour, it was hot where I lived in CA. What fun to watch!

 

[21hens-incharge]

Cold here at about 30 right now. We are to be nearly 80 today and 45 tomorrow with snow in the forecast.


When giving apple scraps I skip the seeds. Those go in the trash. To scared of trace amounts of cyanide in the seeds.

Mine will eat the peels and flesh though. I find cabbage, butternut squash and thawed broccoli are favorites. Spinach gets the from them.
Although they also love swiss chard.

I used to be able to get the trimming scraps from King Soopers aka Kroger for the rabbits. I have not asked in years though. I think it depends on the store. It cannot hurt to ask.

 

[theuglychick]

Take a screenshot and attach it to that thread I mentioned yesterday

Great suggestion. I updated the initial problem post about the issue just now. I see that they reported that they are working on it. It appears to be some sort of ad. It sure is a p.i.a.

 

[Rubysword]

My girls were also terrified of the fearsome cabbage beast... Until I tried to take it down. Once it was hanging from my hand it became instantly recognizable as food and they went nuts
In general, mine seem to prefer ground dwelling cabbages Less vicious and scary lol.

Lol, that put an image in my mind of a cabbage crossed with a bullet bill, and a cabbage crossed with a bunny... My brain is weird

 

[Parront]

Cold here at about 30 right now. We are to be nearly 80 today and 45 tomorrow with snow in the forecast.


When giving apple scraps I skip the seeds. Those go in the trash. To scared of trace amounts of cyanide in the seeds.

Mine will eat the peels and flesh though. I find cabbage, butternut squash and thawed broccoli are favorites. Spinach gets the from them.
Although they also love swiss chard.

I used to be able to get the trimming scraps from King Soopers aka Kroger for the rabbits. I have not asked in years though. I think it depends on the store. It cannot hurt to ask.

I used to wash the veg trimmings in a plastic cement mixing tub from Home Depot, it is shallow. Just wash with the hose and leave it wet so it doesn't wilt. They thought that was the best food dish, would jump in and scratch out the leaves, to get to the grapes at the bottom, pretty funny when one got a grape and the others chased it. Hang a clump of grapes, it will teach them to love hanging things!

 

[apryl29]

So many great ideas! I love the idea of putting the cabbage in the freezer. I'll def have to do that next year. We had a long stretch of days in the 90's and ice cubes in the water don't last long at all. & putting them in a tub of water.. Why didn't I think of that?! I might just toss the cabbage in on the floor tonight and see what happens. That would suit my laziness much better than having to acquire a chain and then have to figure out where to put & how to attach it.

 

[Sassysouth]

I've read that they LOVE cabbage, so I ran out and got one then got out my husband's drill and bored a hole through the middle of it,

*side note- I thought that would be safer than trying to stab it through and through with a kitchen knife...

Ran outside to hang it up for them....

They stared and cowered in the corner.

So I peeled off a petal and tore it to bits and tossed it to them.

They screamed and ran to a different corner.

It hung there for four days until it got soft and wilty!
A few peck marks was the only sign of attention it got.

Guess they just weren't feeling it without a side of corned beef.

I hope yours like it better than mine!

That is how my hens always did, even with watermelon. They would not touch a scrap.

 

[Parront]

So many great ideas! I love the idea of putting the cabbage in the freezer. I'll def have to do that next year. We had a long stretch of days in the 90's and ice cubes in the water don't last long at all. & putting them in a tub of water.. Why didn't I think of that?! I might just toss the cabbage in on the floor tonight and see what happens. That would suit my laziness much better than having to acquire a chain and then have to figure out where to put & how to attach it.

I am not sure about freezing the cabbage, it would make it easier to drill a hole in it! Mine got tired of greens all the time, then was when I hung up the scraps from pig butcher day. Mostly fat, some skin trim and meat trim. Hamburger on mark-down would work the same, I think they benefit from the added fat in their diet. The feathers shine with some pig twice a week!