Treats anyone?

[MustLoveHens]

Ah, let's see... Meal Worms, bread, Mini Marshmellows-I split them in half as I feed them, cooked rice, cooked pasta, anything remotely left over-ish in nature except potatos. (Potatos are toxic to chickens if they start to mold even a tiny bit and they really don't like potatos any way). Pumpkin and squash are a huge hit too.
But the number one chicken treat at my place right after meal worms is chicken! My chickens love chicken. It's kinda disturbing actually.

 

[Cha Cha Chicken]

My 6 pullets LOVE cottage cheese - its also hilarious to watch them eat it!! they make this funny lip smacking sound.... plup plup. plup plup plup.

 

[Cha Cha Chicken]

also, I thought it was bad for them to eat bread? I thought it swelled in their stomach or something.....

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:
Why do you feel they HAVE to have treats? I've raised chickens almost 19 years - they get the occasional treat, but it's the same as with my dogs. They don't HAVE to have it if they have adequate feed.

 

[MakNugget]

I agree with raisins. It's crack for them. It's so bad I put my girls in a support group and they've been clean all winter.

Chickens can be so particular about what treats they like. I can give my girls some bread to sample, but they usually only try a little bit before they've had enough. They do not equate strawberries to food. They adore blueberries, grapes, and even sticky bananas. Cooked oatmeal and yogurt is accepted graciously. Kale, wheat grass, and just about any sprouts given to them. They could care less about cracked corn, but they do manage to consume it when I'm not looking. Fresh spinach is very yummy, and during the hot summer months they enjoy frozen watermelon slices.

 

[duckking]

I thought I heard spinach was bad for them? Something to do with their ability to absorb calcium?

Blueberries...another thing I haven't tried....

Here's a link to a list of chicken treats -

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart



***EDITED*** to add link

 

[eggsontoast]

Mealworms, oatmeal and HAM. sometimes I buy too much for my kids' sandwiches and I don't want it to go waste! It's organic and they go apesh*t over it. They also like bananas and wheatgrass that I grow just for them.

 

[duckking]

Wheat grass is a huge hit also. My ducks love it as well. Ham....hmmmmm. Better than chicken...