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

[donrae]

Interesting- are you meaning that after Christmas, you will put your old Christmas tree out in the run for them to play around on? Never thought about that, but I like that idea. Is anything in the pine harmful to them?

Nope, I've done this for several years--last year's tree is still out there, matter of fact!

It will freak them out when you first put it in the run, and they'll spend a day or so talking to each other about it--then they'll get brave and start exploring it.

 

[Chickencame1st]

Deacons--

Yes you are correct. As long as the tree is natural--as in no preservatives or flame retardant has been added/applied. No different than free range--absolutely no control over what may be eaten then, We have done that for years with wild birds--but add spoons with peanut butter and seeds and tie them on the tree, I guess we could always put treats in there somehow too! Have fun! You know evergreens could also be used as a wind break if needed,

Thanks for the feedback and question--this is such a helpful site and a wonderful group of folks. My grandmother used to always say--"Nobody here but us chickens" when you would call and ask how she was doing. So--glad to be a part of the chickens so many years later. Ha. Merry Christmas to all!

 

[Bibbianna]

I hang brocoli upside down and they love it!

 

[coop-er]

New favorite snack-pomegranate seeds!

 

[MaPa26]

I discovered my girls love frozen peas. Had a large bag in the freezer that was past its peak, so gave a cup of thawed peas with their evening scratch (very cold weather, so they get a snack in the evening). They went bonkers over the peas and picked them out as if they were candy (or mealworms).

 

[MaPa26]

To Chickencame1st: Sounds (and looks) like your chickens had a great party to end the year with! I think I'll give my girls some peas tonight with their scratch. It's just about that time. And we had another cold front move in, today, so they need their evening scratch treat!

 

[gilcamp4]

At the top of the BYC page, there is a "search" feature. I entered "oat bran" and found this thread on the subject, for you: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/93392/oat-bran-ok-please-help

i have a rabbit when we got her the man gave me a bag of feed for her said its a treat once a week turns out to be a wheat seed that they give horses and the chickens would stich thier head in the fence to get it, i also have a wheat bran which the rabbit eat in the winter. found chickens eating that to so in the winter i mix the 2 together with the laying pellits and it has worked great the bran helps with warm in the winter, of course they get crashed corn at 3:30 everyday, today i sent out apples and egg shells hubby puts shells in the feed with grind and it works good, we have 29 hens and 2 roosters, get 21 eggs a day waiting for the day we get 29, daughter came to visit and sent her home with 9 doz eggs to give out to family,

 

[Jipus5]

Decided to grab some of the after New year sale cabbages. Chopped them up, put them through the blender, stirred in some after market diced tomatoes, cayenne pepper, garlic, sunflower seeds, boiled black-eyed peas and diced small pieces of the leftover ham I had frozen after the holidays.
I let a few get a taste from the platter before I put it down, then they began squawking to alert the others (all 100% free ranged on 11 acres) and when they came a running, I was ATTACKED! They love me... what can I say.

 

[zion11]

I haven't noticed any, but I also have only been giving it to them as a treat, and maybe every other day. If it was a more prominent part of their diet, I'd probably be more concerned I have one grocery store that will give me their old produce before tossing it, but mostly I have a few groceries that I can pull stuff out of their dumpsters (there are only a few left that don't use the big compacting dumpsters).

 

[Angelray]

The kids made chicken treats/toys last night! We had saved those coke bottles from Xmas that look like balls & we put a few holes in them, then in went scratch grains & voila...a chicken ball! We also put PB on pine cones & rolled them in scratch. The cabbage tether from yesterday is GONE! The dino-birds are very happy!