I thought chickens were supposed to like kitchen scraps?

[ChicksterJo]

Keep trying and you may find what your chickens like. Some of my chickens are deathly scared of anything new I give to them (my EE's) but my leghorns and Delaware will eat almost anything I put in front of them (especially yogurt!). Put the food in their familiar food bowl, and then leave them alone with it to mull things over. When you come back you may find that they have at least gotten interested or courageous enough to try it. I got mine to eat yogurt by mixing it in with their feed. Mine were wary of grape leaves until I kept insisting that they try it; now they fight like beasts over the leaves.

 

[Meghalu]

Grape leaves, eh? It never occured to me to feed that to the ladies, but now I know what to do with the rogue vines behind the coop. Thanks for the idea!

 

[urbanfarmer101]

Mine will eat almost anything. I put all my scraps in a green tupperware bowl and when the kids carry it, the hens follow that green bowl around the yard like chicks on parade.
They really love hot dogs. The other day I was grilling hot dogs and they all came running. I swear that one of my girls had a plate hidden behind her back.

 

[Urban Chaos]

I too have noticed that it takes my girls a little getting used to. They are about 8 wks old now and have been slowly jumping on the table scrap bandwagon. Now the older girls, they will eat just about anything - makes me wonder about the use of the phrase "eats like a bird" .

 

[crossgirl]

Quote:
We have chicken cousins! Favorite food, french fries. Mine won't touch watermelon or green beans or anything remotely "healthy". I believe my kids have brainwashed them....

 

[SJUDD]

So far, mine eat just about anything I put out there. Except for watermelon rinds. They will eat the flesh but leave the rinds. Only a couple times I have had to leave something out a day or two for them to eat it. They are now familiar with the "chicken bowl" that I have my family put scraps in. Whenever I bring it outside they all run for their coop. It is also how I get them to go back into the coop so I can let the dogs back outside.

 

[Fluffy2]

yeah, since it is all messy we only feed them in the middle of the lawn area. it seems to work. this morning I found a huge 6" earthworm and tried to give it to my 4 hens. No Go. The earthworm must smell different??? I was surprised. they picked it up and tossed it and then dumped it. They could eat 1,000 mealworms in 5 minutes but nothing with the earthworm. Anyone else?
tx