Edible enrichment

[Poodlemum]

I’m planning our weekly grocery shop and am looking for ideas on produce that will keep my girls busy. They love cabbage and corn cobs, a bit meh about broccoli. Would love some suggestions!

They already get scratch and grubs too

 

[Auntiejessi3]

I’m planning our weekly grocery shop and am looking for ideas on produce that will keep my girls busy. They love cabbage and corn cobs, a bit meh about broccoli. Would love some suggestions!

They already get scratch and grubs too

My ladies dig kale, I wrap it in a bundle with a bread tie and hang it from the run☺

 

[BlueBaby]

Do you have any dandelion weed's growing in your yard, or alongside of your road's up there? Those would be good for them as they have vitamin's and calcium in them, and since they are considered being just a weed people will be happy if you take them for your flock of chicken's or duck's.

 

[Poodlemum]

My ladies dig kale, I wrap it in a bundle with a bread tie and hang it from the run☺

Oooooh and that’s good for calcium too! Excellent idea!

 

[Poodlemum]

Do you have any dandelion weed's growing in your yard, or alongside of your road's up there? Those would be good for them as they have vitamin's and calcium in them, and since they are considered being just a weed people will be happy if you take them for your flock of chicken's or duck's.

We do this for our tortoise and the kids go nuts lol. Unfortunately I’m too worried about germs for that right now. Usually the ladies are out foraging the yard and don’t need many extras, it’s such a weedy mess. But I’ve locked them down due to an outbreak a few miles away

 

[Lemon-Drop]

My hens (and rooster) like when I make a hole through and apple and thread it, then hang it in the run. They peck and spin it.

 

[GabrielBernard]

Budgie seed mix.
Tiny seeds for them to search, new and interesting. They are round, and chickens seem to love round things, this is why I wanna get more of those little play balls for cats, which are basically a cage with a bell inside.

Throwing them around and shaking them seems to be a fun activity.
Mung beans for making sprouts, cooked chickpeas are a nice treat.
I know most people use shaved carrots in the food, but have you tried whole cooked carrots for them to pick at?

Seeds from bellpeppers and chilli, normally kitchen waste, also seem to be liked, same as cucumbers which have been a bit too long on the vine and developed seeds.
Those mushy, seedy innards are loved by many.

Bushels of parsley might also be an idea.

 

[BlueBaby]

We do this for our tortoise and the kids go nuts lol. Unfortunately I’m too worried about germs for that right now. Usually the ladies are out foraging the yard and don’t need many extras, it’s such a weedy mess. But I’ve locked them down due to an outbreak a few miles away

I can understand that. Maybe you could start some growing from seed's in some pot's or something that would be away from any dangerous area's while you deal with that? I just bought some of those seed's off of Amazon, so I know that they are available. Here's a link that tells what the benefit's are for your flock:
https://www.fresheggsdaily.blog/201...lion plant is,fresh stems, flowers and leaves.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Cucumber, Zucchini, any kind of squash. Can always ask the grocer if they would part with the cull veggies from the fresh food dept for your birds. High moisture, so in reasonable quantity, won't impact the diet significantly.

 

[Sally PB]

I have been giving my chickens buckets of garden weeds in the last few days, when it's been nice enough to be out in the garden. They don't free range, so I bring the "range" to them.

Yeah, there could be some AI virus on the weeds; the possibility is there, as we have wild geese in the area. It's a very slight risk I'm willing to take. The chickens get a lot of entertainment scratching through the dirt and weeds, and if I find any grubs or wire worms, I throw them in the weed bucket too. But not earthworms. They have work to do in the garden.