Are your chickens "picky"...???

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Hehe... I got a laugh out of this and thought a few of ya'll might as well.

I'll preface this story by saying that my chickens LOVE apples. Of course, they don't love apples like an adult human would love apples; accepting of some minor imperfections and variations- rather, they love them like a four year old child; only if they're just so. Particularly with regard to the skins- I found that out the first time I dropped apples into their pens and returned to find paper thin, completley picked clean apple skins strewn all over the shavings.
So what did I do? Like an over-indulgent chicken-mama, I started peeling the apples.

For a time, all was well. Then Publix had a sale on the small, cheap red apples- you know, the not particularly savory kind that usually accompany a school lunch. Thinking herself generous, my dear grandmother purchased a pound of these apples for the girls (chickens). After all, they would just be happy for the treats, right?
Not so my friends. Not so.

I carefully peeled one of these little delicacies this morning, then walked outside and tossed it into the pen, being careful to stand clear of ground zero. They rushed the treats at first, as they usually do, but then the most peculiar thing happened. Each chicken took a single little taste, at most, then shook off their beaks in disgust and gave me the most withering look I've ever recieved from a bird. A look that demanded to know "What the hell is this garbage?" They then proceeded to stalk away, their tails quite literally stuck up in the air. Four hours later I finally picked it up because it was drawing flies.

The worst part of this? I'll probably just start buying them the golden delicious that they like so much.

Anybody else got a funny story of finicky chickens? Do tell.

 

[healingdeva]

I've been spoiling my girls each morning with a breakfast of rolled oats (made into oatmeal, of course), a bit of yogurt and a bit of cracked corn mixed in. Occasionally, I'll add some fresh fruit chopped nice and small if I have something handy. I always use the same stainless steel bowl to deliver theri special treat.

One evening I was making us a fresh salad from the garden and decided to make them a salad as well. Again, everything that went in was cut very small to make it easy for them to eat. There were greens, carrot bits, beet peel, etc. I took it out in the same bowl, they saw me coming and came running. I set it down and walked away. I came back about 1/2 hour later and the whole crew started this real low baaaaack sound. I've had the "head" girl give me that noise, but not the whole flock. I started laughing because it was so funny that they were obviously so displeased.

 

[gritsar]

oldtimegator, thank you for sharing that funny story. My chicks aren't picky, more like obsessive compulsive. They can't stand for anything to stick to the outside of their beaks. They like yogurt okay, but won't eat much of it before they wipe their mouths off and walk away in disgust. The day I fed them part of a banana, they all ran to try it and found out they couldn't eat it without some of it getting on their beaks. As a group, they ran up to me and wiped their beaks on my jeans and then they walked away from it. They haven't touched banana again since.

 

[MiniDriver]

Quote:
That sounds just like my girls. I'll have to rename them all Howie Mandel. They hate anything that gets their beaks ucky. They're very suspicious of any treats, except for bread. They come up and demand bread and get completely disgusted if I substitute lesser treats.

 

[sadieH5836]

I have eight lovely little garbage disposals!

 

[Darin115]

I have picky white leghorns. 20 hens and 1 rooster.
They love the scratch that I toss out on the ground.
I read on BYC that they love black oil sunflower seeds. So I picked up a bag a couple of weeks ago at the farm store.

I get home and spread a few on the floor of the house and here they come. Like dive bombers. The oldest hen first. Then the others right behind. They look around and scratched around looking for something to eat. They paid no attention the the seeds. It was like the seeds were not even there.
It sounded like they were talking in chinese to each other. "Where is the food???? Where is the food???"

I mixed some in their laying pellets but they picked the pellets out and left the seeds. I finally got them to eat them by mixing some up in some popcorn. Now they love them.

Their absolute favorite is blue tailed lizard. It is like WW III if I throw one on teh floor.

Darin