What treats do you give your chickens?

[EverV]

I feed mine mealworms, but some of them don't eat them . I also feed them diced apples now that they figured out they like them. Watermelon is a favorite, too!

Mine would kill for mealies. I got lucky there. Mine go crazy for watermelon as well, but still haven't quite decided if they like apple.

 

[ButtonHoarder]

Usually just whatever scraps don't go to the dog

 

[MotherofOrpies]

Mine turn into raptors when I give them mealworms ( wriggling !) but not all of them eat grasshoppers, the young chickens love them, the older chickens were suspicious and got out of the way of the hopping grasshoppers and my dog wouldn’t touch chicken food, but the chickens love the left over beef heart bits from the dog

 

[Stephanie8806]

I’ll go season but season, as it changes for me.

Spring: I rarely give them treats. Everything is sprouting and in bloom, and the bugs come out in force. Mine are let out to free range daily, so they get a wide assortment of goodies! I will take any garden weeds up to their run.

Summer: Still lots of plant life around, and I know they get seeds from plants and grasses starting to dry out... but it gets HOT here in Summer. On days that we hit triple digits, I’m sure to bring them snacks with a high water content. Primarily watermelon or apples. I refrigerate the fruit overnight as well, so it’s a nice cool refresher in the heat of the day.

Fall: Everything where I am starts sprouting again in the milder weather, so free ranging is still high. But so are garden scraps! Surplus tomatoes, roasted pumpkin, cabbage leaves, you name it! Local orchards are also often Giving away bruised fruit for free so apple and pear smorgasbord! And all the big farm stands give massive price cuts on pumpkins after Halloween, so you can score a large squash for pennies on the dollar.

Winter: I usually buy a large bag of oatmeal and a bag of rice every spring at Costco. Every few days, I will cook a little bit and take it up to the chickens. I’ll often mix it with roasted or chopped frozen goodies left over from fall like pumpkin and apple. Especially on cold days, where the carbs help keep them warm. Also, to balance out the carb boost, I generally sprinkle some grubs on top for protein and a little BOSS for fat. I’ll also stir in a generous amount of cayenne pepper and garlic powder because there’s a lot of health benefits associated with those. We also like to tie sweet corn on the cob and hang them in the run occasionally. They play tetherball with it and it’s a good little snack and activity

 

[OmnipotentOrpington]

My chickens are spoiled brats and are extremely picky about the treats we give them. One won't even eat anything out of a black bowl!! They hate any sticky, sloppy food, so no watermelon, no squash, and no pumpkin. However, they DO love crunchy treats, so we give them dried mealworms and other such treats. And all kitchen scraps they'll greedily devour.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Mine occasionally get Flock Blocks, Corn, Scratch Grains, Meal Worms, Soldier Fly Larvae, Party Mix, lettuce, Spinach, Carrot tops, Tomatoes, & Hot Peppers. Lawn Clippings too.

 

[Momoftres]

I think mine like watermelon

 

[Desertvalleychickens]

My chickens eat seeds and vegetable scraps. They eat oyster shells for calcium.

 

[SwampFlock]

Right now I'm giving only millet as treats as I'm trying to click-train my guinea flock and I've read millet is their favorite. My chickens all get in on the act too like "ooh we wanna learn click training too!" even though they come running to me every time they see me anyways!!

 

[SophiaSussex]

Hello! I'm starting this thread to see what treats everyone gives their chickens (as stated in the title). As of now, I don't have a proper calcium container for my girls, so I make it up to them by giving them a daily bowl with baked & crushed egg shells and whatever table scraps/treats I have on hand. If I don't have table scraps, I'll make them something. #spoiled chickens. Today they got: half a mashed banana, some oatmeal, raisins, cranberries, cabbage, scratch, a couple chunks of stale bread, and a tiny bit of cinnamon for respiratory health (this isn't a regular thing). Sometimes I'll even scramble an egg for them and add that too. Aside from this, I'll occasionally give them some mealworms and wilting lettuce/kale. What does everyone else give their chickens?

Meal worm's, scraps, and fruits/veggies that are about to go bad. Grapes and apples are the flock favs! When i had my Plymouth rock in the house healing her leg, she ate all the house flies buzzing around my backroom window. A treat for her and me.