Feeding chickens yogurt

[cmom]

Quote:
Here you go https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=9738 This is the BEST yogurt I've ever tasted. The chickens absolutely love it, too. And MissPrissy also includes some other great recipes in that thread.

Penny

Thanks!!!

 

[livin-green]

I have always fed my ladies yogurt straight from the dish, spoon, finger, each other....you get the picture.

Also, I read on another post about complaints of so much wasted dust/powder from feeding crumbles vs. pellets. Since my ladies prefer the crumbles, I implemented one of the suggested solutions to reduce waste. I save up the dust/powder and make a mash with it to feed everyday or every other day. I also mix it with yogurt or applesauce to give it that extra "pizazz" they love!

 

[magikchick]

My gang love yoguart! I mix thawed mixed veggies in it.

 

[wegotchickens2]

Our girls just looooove yogurt! I had never tried it, but read about it on here the other day, they get a small container of it everyday between 7 hens.. lately I have been shredding the crappy little apples from a mutt apple tree nearby into and mixing it in, and they love it. Seems to be their favourite food, after purple cabbage! I am sure that the live cultures in the yogurt are good for their guts, just like it is for us?

 

[JennsPeeps]

Probiotics (natural bacteria) are the main reason to give chooks yogurt.

The fact that they love the stuff is just gravy.

 

[Chez Poulet]

I think next to raisins, the girls seem to think yogurt is their favorite food. I've never heard them so quiet when they're eating they're so into it. Just like others have said, heavy and wide dish because they will try to tip it and some even dive right in. I'd swear that they have tongues to lap it up because not a single bit of white is left in the bottom of the dish and when they get to the bottom you hear the 'ting ting ting' of their beaks hitting the bottom getting every last bit out!

I mix mine with alternating ingredients: ground flax seeds (Omega 3's), unhulled sesame seeds (lots of calcium), mashed yam or sweet potato, old fashioned rolled oats (I usually soak them in water overnight before I mix in), sunflower seeds, their regular mash, bananas that are too sweet for me to eat, etc.

Here's a good hint, I've never had to pay full price for big tubs of organic yogurt. I ask the gal who works in that dept. at the grocery store to see if anything is going to expire soon, and then I get it for next to nothing! BTW, pumpkins might still be at stores and are priced to clear out. I got mine for 5 cents a pound! The girls love it plain baked or just raw. I mix in the cooled baked pumpkin with the yogurt too.

 

[silkie101]

Quote:
lol thanks for the warning

 

[groundpecker]

i use plain yogurt with very low sugar in it. My chickens will devour it.

 

[DunindiditFarm]

Quote:
Good suggestion about making the powder into a mash. I'll try that. I've been having some issues with the last couple of bags of Purina medicated starter...the crumbles disintegrated into powder, so I ended up with a bag of powder. Took the last one back to the feed store which they replaced, but said it probably the end of the production line. Doesn't Purina have a quality control process in place? Thinking about switching to another brand. Someone recommended Blue Seal but hard to find. Any other brand recommendations?

 

[motherhenmindy]

The chickens will eat anything from my hands, I used to give them yogurt with a spoon, but they were wary of it recently as it had been a while...I thought I was going to lose fingers!

But once they realized what it was and after several trips in and out of the house with spoonfuls of yogurt, I put some on a coolwhip lid. I hold the lid for them to eat off it, otherwise they stomp all over it, peck each others feet and it's pure bedlam. We usually all end up covered in yogurt. I just use plain dannon yogurt, not flavored, it lasts forever! And giving with oats they go nuts over, too.