Sunflower Seeds

[carrlr]

I read once that sunflower seeds were like candy to Cockatiels, so I assume the same applies to chickens. I know they love them and would probably eat just them, If we did'nt limit them to just so many. BOSS, black oil sunflower seeds are the best and they eat them whole.

 

[gryeyes]

BOSS - in the shell - is one of the treats I give 'em. They get some every morning because I need them to get out of my way whilst I check on feeders and whatnot. So I toss two handsful over the run fence before I even go inside, and wait for the rush. (They range freely and get up before I do, so they're already out of the run by then.) That's every morning. The way I toss the BOSS, it scatters quite widely, so even the little ones get a chance to snatch up a couple for themselves.

The evening treat is dry, old-fashioned rolled oats, or shredded mozzarella cheese, or BOSS if I'm out of the former items. This time, they eat it out of my hands.

Even the two ducks participate.

BOSS is higher in protein than scratch (which I do not give to them), and helps promote feather growth. (Yes, I know the photo shows oats, but I didn't take a picture when I was feeding BOSS. It's the same method, though.)

 

[rgrillo]

Beautiful pics! What breed are the buff colored hens with the black speckling around the neck? I've seen these before in a magazine.

I'm sorry but what is BOSS? This is a new one for me.

My new hen is from a farm that didn't want her and she seemed to have been mistreated. She already looks a lot better since I've had her. Her feathers were a bit "raggedy" when I first got her but now I can see them starting to fill out. The BOSS sounds like it could especially help her along to developing a full winter feathering.

 

[rgrillo]

Never mind! BOSS is black oil sunflower seeds. Duh!

 

[bambi]

What I have observed with free range chickens is they seem to know what they need. My hens some times eat more of the feed I provide and sometimes they eat more bugs and sunflower seeds with the shell on also they are crazy about pine nuts. So I have stopped my worrying over what they should have and have not and the girls give me good quality eggs every day