First Time Feeding Yogurt

[Arkinsaw]

I'm a newbie. I have 7 RIR hens that are six plus months old, have been laying for a couple of weeks. I'm getting 2 to 3 eggs a day. I had a young man raise them from peeps till now. When I got them they were on starter and he was also feeding them some cracked corn.

I've switched them to laying pellets. They don't eat very much of it, but they have a good sized yard and seem to be eating lots of bugs, grubs, etc. They look and act very healthy.

Today I decided to try to give them some of the pellets mushed up a bit with some homemade yogurt. They really seemed to like it. Then, one of them began to wipe her beak off in the dirt. Then another one and another. One used a foot to scratch at her beak. It was like something was sticking on their beaks that they weren't comfortable with. Then they all seemed to be finished with eating this even though they had not finished what I put out (about a cup and a half of pellets).

Is this normal behavior?

 

[gritsar]

Very normal. I have one hen that I am hand feeding right now. I bring her in the house, put her bowl of food in front of her and then stand there like a dummy with my arm stretched out so she has a handy napkin.

They'll get to where they completely finish a bowl of yogurt, but they still don't like to get their beaks dirty.
Welcome to BYC!

 

[Arkinsaw]

Thank you gritsar. It's strange that they seem to think (do chickens think?) that the food and yogurt gets their beaks dirty but wiping them off in the dirt doesn't.

So much to learn...

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
My first response would be to say that they don't think and that's the problem. However, I've seen lots of behaviors that made no sense to me until I thought about them from a chicken's perspective.
Perhaps (and this is just a wild guess here) dirt smells neutral, they're surrounded by it. Food smells (on their bodies) would attract predators even more.

Chickens are fun to own and entertaining, but certainly not Harvard material.

 

[schmije]

Chickens do lots of things that I think are strange, but they also make me laugh a lot. Mine wipe their beaks on the ground whenever we give them something that sticks. They also shake their heads and fling food (especially yogurt) everywhere, then they eat it off the backs of the others. LOL!

 

[Ridgerunner]

No comments on the beak wiping. Just wanted to welcome you to the forum. From your name I'd guess you are from this state.

 

[blsimpson]

I fed mine yogurt for the first time the other day, and they were wiping their beaks on each other to get it off.. It was pretty funny..

 

[Arkinsaw]

Hey Ridgerunner...

Yes, I live here in Arkansas too. Been reading this site for months getting ready for the hens.

Thanks all for your comments.

 

[wildorchid053]

all birds wipe their mouths like that.. even my parrot.. i am sure she would love a napkin and a hand to use.. but.. the ground.. tree branch or anything else works fine.. even your shoulder lol