It was on this thread where someone shared the article on chopped feed, right? Well, you might remember Ester’s necropsy revealed obesity. I’ve cut out meal worms, scratch, millet and cracked corn, but still like provide something for them to hunt for while stuck in the run. I remembered the article on the chop principal, along with the fact that Dorothy and some of the others liked shredded zucchini, so I am now using a bit if this principle. Each morning, along with their mix of their lay crumble, lay pellet and starter/grower crumble, they either get:
• mash with echinacea, goldenseal, olive leaf extract, milk thistle
• some sort of cultured dairy like cottage cheese, greek yogurt or oats soaked in kefir
• grated veggies of some kind like zucchini, cabbage carrot
• kale, either chopped or full leaves
They also get a little sprouted wheat berry each morning and I’m thinking of rotating what I sprout.
They look for this each morning, and it’s fun to watch and learn who loves what. They all love the wheat berries. Flash searches out the zucchini. Cashew is CRAZY for the carrot. Bridge goes for dairy. Flash picks out zucchini. Buttercup likes to stand on the kale leaves and pull of bites. I don’t notice anyone going for purple cabbage, but it’s always gone the next day and in the morning I see healthy, but bright green poops from sone of them, so I know they’re eating the purple cabbage.
Sometimes I also treat with some fresh fruit: tomato, apple (whole or shredded), or berries. In the summer, they get some melon now and then.
It’s a fun way to still be able to give them treats, but in a way that I feel adds to their nutrition instead of detracting from it.
SORRY! MY PHONE INTERFACE GLITCHED OUT AND I COULD NOT FINISH WITHOUT POSTING AND EDITING. SOME OF YOU ALREADY SAW IT BEFORE I FINISHED.
• mash with echinacea, goldenseal, olive leaf extract, milk thistle
• some sort of cultured dairy like cottage cheese, greek yogurt or oats soaked in kefir
• grated veggies of some kind like zucchini, cabbage carrot
• kale, either chopped or full leaves
They also get a little sprouted wheat berry each morning and I’m thinking of rotating what I sprout.
They look for this each morning, and it’s fun to watch and learn who loves what. They all love the wheat berries. Flash searches out the zucchini. Cashew is CRAZY for the carrot. Bridge goes for dairy. Flash picks out zucchini. Buttercup likes to stand on the kale leaves and pull of bites. I don’t notice anyone going for purple cabbage, but it’s always gone the next day and in the morning I see healthy, but bright green poops from sone of them, so I know they’re eating the purple cabbage.
Sometimes I also treat with some fresh fruit: tomato, apple (whole or shredded), or berries. In the summer, they get some melon now and then.
It’s a fun way to still be able to give them treats, but in a way that I feel adds to their nutrition instead of detracting from it.
SORRY! MY PHONE INTERFACE GLITCHED OUT AND I COULD NOT FINISH WITHOUT POSTING AND EDITING. SOME OF YOU ALREADY SAW IT BEFORE I FINISHED.
Last edited:
You could see her repeatedly checking it out and almost see her mulling over the situation! I love watching them when they look at where they want to go, and you can virtually see the 'wheels turning' as they estimate distance, evaluate options, etc. Much more cognative than people give them credit for!
