what do you all do to keep your birds from being too bored all winter?what do you feed for treats?

[Chickencame1st]

I won't let my girls free range.unless my DH and i stay on hawk patrol with them.so we have constructed a large run.half the run is sheltered from rain and wind.the other half has wire on the top to protect them from predators.two weeks ago we had some very cold temperatures.their was no straw to be found.we purchased bales of hay.i took flakes of hay and put it threw out their sheltered runs.those girls had a scratching fun time looking for seed that had fallen out of the hay.I also took scratch feed and toss it in the hay.keeps them busy and good exercise for them..and also keeps them warm.treats are meal worms and alfalfa sprouts and cabbage.the other evening I let them out within ten minutes they went back into their run.and started searching and scratching in the hay for seeds and scratch.

My chickens LOVE to scratch in the hay for seeds--wanna try black oil sunflower in this next real cold snap over the next few days--kind of like chicken aerobics. The shred up that cabbage and collard in no time too.

I do not free range either--we have LOTS of flying predators--maybe the roo would hustle them under the shelter but if any one of they became a "sitting Duck--err Chick" I would feel horrible. Will increase the covered yard area in the next few weeks with bird netting. I know they'll love it and I will have some sort of peace of mind--until a hawk gets caught in the netting probably.

 

[Naturegirl44]

My girls are just loving the bird seed bell I have hung up for them. The one with millets in it. It swings around and they chase it lol and they also love rolling around the cleaned out Gatorade bottle that I punched holes into and filled with cracked corn and black oil sunflower seeds.

In really cold weather, like tonight at -33c, I screw a mealworm suet to the wall for them to peck at. It spins on the screw and is rather entertaining to watch them with it. I don't give it to them until about hour before bed so they are full of protein and fat before they sleep. This is a treat that's only for when it goes below -20c.

They got some apples and greens this week as well from left over fridge food. I can't wait til this bitter cold winter is over and my poor girls can run about again.

 

[coop-er]

Aawww shoot! I passed up a basket like that at a garage sale-regrets! This nifty idea did not occur to me, nice work!

 

[Jipus5]

White potatoes are fine as long as they are cooked. Peels too. I cut them like hash browns bake em n add them into whatever concoction for a snack I have come up with. Watermelon, pumpkin, and tomatoes are so good for them, but newbies don't know what to do with one. So, put it inside the coop for the night, where they are bored until u arrive n the AM, they tend to figure it out and love it!

 

[ShelbyCoral]

I make wanna make meal worm cake for my girls! I found it at lowes for normal birds and so i got it for them. They loved it so much!!! Gotten find out how to make it for them.

 

[gilcamp4]

My chickens LOVE to scratch in the hay for seeds--wanna try black oil sunflower in this next real cold snap over the next few days--kind of like chicken aerobics. The shred up that cabbage and collard in no time too.

I do not free range either--we have LOTS of flying predators--maybe the roo would hustle them under the shelter but if any one of they became a "sitting Duck--err Chick" I would feel horrible. Will increase the covered yard area in the next few weeks with bird netting. I know they'll love it and I will have some sort of peace of mind--until a hawk gets caught in the netting probably.

I went into my garden coop and found a whole toot fell of wild bird feed had every thing in it, sunflower seed, heart and every thing else you could thing of, must have been one of them toots I mixed up myself and forgot I had it and got more, I took it out and put it in the feeder in coop oh did they go crazy, so next day Gerry was going out to feed them and I told him do a bowl of treat and a bowl of feed till it is full so he did, he came back in and said oh my god they go crazy for that, so that is what they get now. he just came in and said he put the feed in bowl then the treat and when he put it in feeder the feed was on top, they dug till they got to the treats, lol

 

[farmchickutah]

I can't believe how crazy mine are for BOSS! They nearly attack me when I walk in with the scoop full of feed and I have 65 of them! They love it so much!

 

[coop-er]

Oddly enough, my birds favorite treat happens to be black olives!! Has anyone else had experience with this? They prefer these over any other treat I have experimented with. Weird.

 

[azygous]

I hang giant carrots that I grow in summer and store in tubs of sand. The flock spends all day on these big carrots, munching them down to just the very top that is suspended by screwing an eye screw into it. Sort of like hanging a cabbage, only with carrots.

 

[ShelbyCoral]

I found this for my girls!

At lowes its called "Garden Treasures 0.75-lb Bird Seed" for $9.97
THEY LOVED IT!!!!