Do you spoil

[SoCalChickenGal]

I give them grubs, and power greens and some scratch daily. Fresh water and food. They have a nice big enclosed run, with misters inside when it is hot. (We're in So Cal) I have a garden and the get tasty treats from there too. I don't let them free range because with live in the foothills and have lots of hawks, coyotes, opossums, snakes that would like them to be their treat. I too tell them good morning, make over their eggs and put them to bed every night!

 

[mrskenmore]

Spoil? Lol not me.. they get ice water daily because they like it, stumps turned over for bugs..spider crickets I have swatted with the fly swatter...fresh herbs in the nesting boxes.. and I have been known to occasionally help them down from the roost on rainy days lol. I also thank them for their eggs and say goodnight when I lock them in at dusk.

 

[igorsMistress]

No spoiling here, unless you count a block of ice in the afternoon. They don’t even get scratch.

 

[Blooie]

No.

 

[NaperLix]

I spoil as much as a dog or cat or horse,yes.
heat,air conditioning,Organic vanilla spray for bugs when they are outside.The coops are sealed,no bugs at all.
Padded wide roosts,not high,nests very low.Saves on joint trouble.no limping.
I do t murder any animals,wild or domestic.They are family pets,however.
All kinds of food daily.Some healthy,some not,just like humans.
Vet care,if needed.I never put to sleep any animal,only under drastic conditions.I feel if you could ask them,they would say no.
They still are under some restrictions from bird flu.
Many are kept in pairs,or 3,so there’s little pecking.Some can play together,separate coops.They pick their friends,
Mine,all pick their own kind,without fail.Blk.orphington,Lavender orphington,Welsummers,barred rocks.
They have watched much tv,video,Will tell me if there is a bird on .
They give warning noise if they hear someone in drive or at door.
They are attached back house.
Yes,swept and bleached daily.No flys no smell.
4 sandboxes,2 large raised boxed dirt beds.
When I sit with them ,they all get jealous from who’s being pet the most.
They can each stay in their group if I direct then to switch locations too.
Very smart.They also know if a bird is in distress ,from a blue jay or crow,and have told me ,with alarm.Usually too late to save nest,but they know the bird language .
When a person has great respect and love for animals,it comes naturally to offer them the best life you can give them,know how .In a chickens case,how a great many suffer in pitiful ,painful,short lives.

 

[Charlene W]

My birds do get spoiled a bit I guess. I have veggies growing almost year round so I just grow extra just for them. They just got a head of cabbage a couple days ago. All that's left now is the core with a bit of stem. They get what ever is in season. Soon it will be cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes then cantaloupe, watermelon and I grow some small pie pumpkins for fall. I chill them when the weather is hot. Later fall/winter will be collards, broccoli and cabbage, lettuce, spinach. They also will fight over the beans (leftover cooked, scraps).

I have an old golf cart with a little trailer I pull back to the garden. When they hear it coming up the path, they RUN to the gate to see what I have!

When I come home from work, mine run to the sliding glass door and wait for treats.

 

[flyinferg]

I am beginning to think that I am the only one who spoils chickens like dogs and cats. Do you spoil you feather family if so what do you do?

Oh my, sitting here thinking "did I actually spend $50 to have a 20 pound bag of chicken feed shipped to my two girls"! I live in northern California and the only source of feed is a place that packages the crumble from an unknown source. My two retired rescue girls have never cared for it so I always add in millet and opened sunflower seed from the natural food store. Someone implied that they might not be getting enough protein so I ordered the food to be shipped. I have never ordered anything online. My theory being, if I cannot get it locally, I don't need it. But - anything for my girls. I don't eat corn on the cob or cantaloupe but every other week I buy a melon and 6 ears of corn. I give them a slice of melon every day and a half ear of corn stuck upright on a long screw I attached to a piece of wood. They peck at that throughout the day. A handful of dried meal worms every day. Of course, I garden and weed almost daily so they get to crowd in and take a few of the worms that are turned over in the process. I do think I indulge my girls. I never entertained the thought of chickens but these two came to me circuitously and I cannot imagine my already wonderful life without chicken company.

 

[MJWarner]

I treat my flock like livestock. They get a fermented grain/pellet combo in the morning, with extras, like garlic powder probiotic crumble, brewers yeast, kelp, and powdered mustard greens. I have a vegetable garden, so they get scraps like end cut offs from strawberries, melons, squashes, bean tips, and carrot peels. I don't consider this spoiling, I want healthy eggs, and do plan to consume excess grown offspring when that day comes, and their health means better results. I also keep their coop clean, to ensure their overall health. I hand feed them occasional meal worms, because I think it's important that I be able to lure them in, in case I need to treat something, like bumblefoot or whatever. It also allows me to have time to observe and examine the birds. I have ten hens, almost 1/2have started laying, pullet eggs still, and one rooster, who is super with/to the ladies, but likes to try and kill us humans who dare enter his territory, lol. We have learned to not turn our back to him. They are 5 months old, so I'm hopeful his testosterone levels will stabilize a bit when it comes to human encounters, funny thing... he will lap dog his way over to be hand fed those mealworms.

 

[kathytales]

I am beginning to think that I am the only one who spoils chickens like dogs and cats. Do you spoil you feather family if so what do you do?

I live in a ranching area where chickens are just stock. I get funny looks and laughter when I take one to the vet!

 

[Cheeken-gurl]

Yes, mine are spoiled little fluff-butts..the get lotsa fruit and mealworms, they have mirrors and toys and lotsa stuff to play on..plus they got me chasing them around for cuddles.and kisses

I am beginning to think that I am the only one who spoils chickens like dogs and cats. Do you spoil you feather family if so what do you do?