I think cranberries ruined my chickens. (Kidding, it's all good)

[Erin K]

I am new to chickens and trying to make my 3 fall in love with me. I'm using treats to accomplish this goal. It's going well.

A few days ago I tried cranberries. They went NUTS. Now they don't really like any other treats, they just look offended that I don't give them cranberries all the time. They actually mob me when I go outside for them. If I have cranberries then all is well and we are friends, until I run out. When I run out they turn into crazy raptors and Nancy, my head hen, will peck at me furiously. Not really hard, but insistent.

I'm bemused by all these antics. I am always tempted to just let them gorge themselves on the cranberries, but I'm trying to be a good chicken mom and only let them have a few, then they have to eat feed or whatever they eat all day in the yard.

I'm a little offended they didn't go nuts for my homemade wheat bread crusts. They ate them, but they looked like they were mad there was no cranberry in them.

 

[Tina D]

Yeah, chickens really do take their treats very seriously!

 

[gabbyscritters]

Never thought of cranberries. Just plain old actuall berries or the dried craisins

 

[Erin K]

They are also all NUTs over this toy my kid has. He (the kid) got this kit where you "dig" up plastic dino bones. Then you snap them together to make a dinosaur. Specifically a dipliodocus.

Anyhow he was coming in with it and Nancy jumped up to get it from him. She went crazy. He loves her to pieces so he said she could have it. But i had a better idea! Sometimes I have a hard time getting them into their coop, but so far this dinosaur always works. They literally chased me around the yard with it earlier. They LOVE the thing.

So I'm using it to get them to go into their coop when free time is over. Then I do give them a treat because they don't need to eat a plastic dinosaur.

We showed them other toys, but only this one is loved like this.

 

[The Red Rooster]

Wow!! My chickens are crazy about.. well... umm.... should I tell you? DOGFOOD!! They are just crazy about it!

 

[Erin K]

Quote:
Oh, gotta try that, and dogfood is cheap. I already have some I feed to my rats.

My husband is always bugging me that I'm feeding the chickens perfectly good human food. He likes them to only eat table scraps that no one else will eat. I want to go grocery shopping just for them! Luckily for them I have a 9 month old who is just starting on self feeding, which is a huge mess. When I get him out of the high chair I brush all the crumbs and stuff from the chair into my hand then give it to the birds. Win!

But when Brian isn't here I sneak out there with premium treats. I froze them some yogurt today. It's hot. And yogurt is yummy.

 

[The Red Rooster]

They will go crazy over it! I haven't had a chicken that didn't like it.
Haha yeah I know how it is! My family thinks i'm crazy!