What special care do you give your flock?

[Candyjablonski]

I give mine oatmeal as a treat on cold mornings, invite their favorite people over every year for their adoption-day, and sometimes take them inside when the weather is nice for a little spa and checkup. The spa consists of an epsom salt bath, oats to snack on, and a blowdry. Depending on whos getting a spa, sometimes non toxic sparkle blue nail polish too. Not all of them like the polish.View attachment 4105467
Forgot.to add that I bribe them to go back in the coop, and have Hazel trained (not the one in the photo) to hop up onto the roost, and eat her snack off of my hand.

I had a rooster that I would give spa days. He loved getting blown dry and would just lay there for the longest time enjoying it. He was by himself with just me and a cat. That was his first hen literally.

 

[Candyjablonski]

Mine go nutty when I give them bananas. They absolutely love when I give them a can of corn. Ramen noodles are a hit also. Fresh fruit when available. I cannot go outside without something or they will peck me to death

 

[CabritaChicks]

For anyone on the coast, I've heard that giving the girls seaweed to get all the bugs out of is great fun for them

My birds definitely get seaweed—well, technically it’s what my husband and I jokingly call “sea orgasm” (aka sargassum). We live right on the sea, and thanks to ocean currents, whales, and Africa, it’s become a full-blown invasion that’s wrecking tourism.

Sargassum is packed with minerals like iodine, iron, calcium, and magnesium, as well as polysaccharides such as alginates and fucoidan, which have anti-inflammatory and immune-supporting properties. It also contains small amounts of protein, vitamins A and K, and beneficial antioxidants that can support feather health and metabolic function in birds- but it is the critters that lie within that i seek!.

Luckily, our home sits on an inlet facing a different direction, so we don’t get hit. But just a quarter mile down the coast, it piles up on the beaches. They haul it away daily using heavy machinery and a dump truck. While they’re loading it up, I occasionally sneak a handful into a tightly sealed Tupperware. Trust me—this stuff is crawling with all kinds of creepy-crawlies and winged horrors.

And side note for my fellow parrot people: my parrot flock is primarily on a fresh diet, but I do offer high-quality pellets on occasion. When they’re done nibbling, there’s always some nutrient-rich pellet dust left behind in their bowls. I sprinkle it outside—and the chickens go absolutely feral for it.

 

[Juliette of the Spirit]

I give the featherdusters some herbal sachet in their nesting boxes and it inspires well being and egg layin

 

[Juliette of the Spirit]

Mine go nutty when I give them bananas. They absolutely love when I give them a can of corn. Ramen noodles are a hit also. Fresh fruit when available. I cannot go outside without something or they will peck me to death

 

[Juliette of the Spirit]

YES THEY RECOGNIZE YOU AS THEIR SUPPLIER AND FRIEND. WHEN MY GIRLS SEE ME THEY TALK TO ME ABOUT DIFFERENT THINGS. MORE PROTEIN, I WANT TO GO TO THE RUN, PICK ME UP ETC..

 

[Juliette of the Spirit]

I had a rooster that I would give spa days. He loved getting blown dry and would just lay there for the longest time enjoying it. He was by himself with just me and a cat. That was his first hen literally.

I LOVE THIS. BIRDS LOVE LOVE AND GOOD TREATMENT YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL HEART

 

[Stitchaquilt3]

I am in northern michigan and winter here keeps the flock cooped. I feed a small flake of alfalfa hay. this gives them hours of scratching fun, and the tiny alfalfa leaves are packed with needed nutrients.
I also buy a large bag of deer carrots that is sold here in the fall. I will through 3 or 4 in a day. This also gives them something to peck at an is also very good for them. Added bonus is it keeps the egg yolks deep orange.
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Would any carrots work?

 

[ManOverBoard]

And side note for my fellow parrot people: my parrot flock is primarily on a fresh diet, but I do offer high-quality pellets on occasion. When they’re done nibbling, there’s always some nutrient-rich pellet dust left behind in their bowls. I sprinkle it outside—and the chickens go absolutely feral for it.

We do this with our parrot left overs too!
And thanks for all the helpful info about sargassum. I'll be father it more.

 

[Chicken_Obsesser]

We use a sled during summer as a cool area/pool to walk through. We have multiple fans. And like freezing blocks of veggies/fruit.

Cut alfalfa , BOSS, and dried black soldier flies on occasion, same with tomatoes.

What is BOSS?