My little ladies are in treat heaven! How often do you give a "treat"

[dipence71]

Today mine got fridge leftovers lol celery, broccoli, blueberries, chicken fried rice with stir fry veggies(low sodium) left overs, drippings from baked pork loan, drippings from baked sirloin roast marinated in some really dry red wine that to me was not drinkable, fat drippings from pork chops cooked on a "like" george forman grill. I would say they were really happy today.

Doesnt happen daily but they get treat regularly.

PS my rabbits got the apple and some celery as well.

 

[OnlyinGlenloch]

I love the apple on a stick. I hadn't thought of that. I don't like putting food on the ground. Great idea.

 

[dipence71]

Quote:
That's just ridiculous. My girls would have keeled over a long time ago if it were true! They get some kind of treat every day. Sometimes a little scratch with BOSS in it, leftover veggies, pasta, scrambled eggs, etc. We are vegetarian, so anything without a lot of salt or sugar. And bugs, lots of bugs! And weeds, they love dandelion greens and pigweed. When I don't have a treat with me, they are like, what the heck lady?

Mine will follow me around like puppies until I go get them their snacks.

 

[JanaBanana1]

I am thinking the person that posted that about not feeding them human food is a "newbie" at raising chickens like myself

I would NEVER have thought you could feed them anything but chicken food.

Tomorrow morning my girls will get raisins with their oatmeal.

 

[kasey08]

Can they eat mixed seeds for wild birds?

 

[AinaWGSD]

Sure, I always refill the bird feeder (which lives in the front yard, right in front of our picture window) in the back yard so the girls can clean up whatever I spill. Sometimes they help themselves to what's in the feeder while I put the bag of seed back on the back porch.

My girls get some kind of treat every day. We've taken to buying greens for them (turnip, mustard, dandelion, whatever's cheapest that week) on our weekly shopping trip and I stuff a couple suet cages full for them each day. They also get assorted leftover scraps. This week they've had toast with peanut butter, scrambled egg, spinach manicotti (was going to go bad if I didn't get it out of the fridge soon), pancakes, a few french fries (very few, like maybe 3 or 4 between the 6 of them), home made pizza crusts, and a little mashed cauliflower/potatoes. I also throw a handful or two of scratch down a few times a week, more often when it's cold out and they won't be let out of the run and less often when it's warmer and they're going to get lots of "free range" time in the back yard.

I do try to keep the amount of treats given down though as I have noticed a drop in egg production after a day particularly full of treats. But the greedy little pigs are always looking for a hand out when I go out the back door, whether I've got anything with me or not. In fact, today I stepped on one of the girls' foot to the point that she tried to run away and was unable to because I was standing on her. Thank goodness for a soggy run with several inches of decomposing straw! Otherwise I might have a gimp hen on my hands. Still didn't stop her from being completely underfoot the next time I ventured into the back yard.