winter treats.

[Alicatt]

What do you treat chickens with in winter? When the grass is gone, and the garden is done, there are no more apples on the ground beneath the trees. I would like to keep them eating fresh, but think that could get expensive. What do you do?

 

[cubalaya]

grow turnips. we still have turnip greens in december and after that you can give them the small turnips. they love them.

 

[Lesia]

We have a lot of kitchen scraps that they love, but it never seems enough for them... They need more wholesome/fatty foods in winter just like we do. So I save our fat and tendons from meat trimmings and cook them for chicken; any oil we used for cooking left in pots and pans (even the oil or water from cans like tuna) I mix with stale bread and leftovers; they love to drink water I cooked ravioli or pasta in; there is always a bad banana, or weird apple that no one wants to eat; check your freezer too - there must be an old vegetable mix that you forgot where it comes from; I also "recycle" kid's expired multivitamins. I make kids go around our driveway collecting dead dried up earthworms, there especially many of them after the rain - they even go to neighbors yards for those. It's obviously less stuff to give them than in the summer, but they still feel excited getting it all.

 

[Lesia]

I don't know where you all live, but in our climate we have fresh weeds aplenty in winter too

 

[bernaboo111]

I am looking for an answer to this too, so I will be watching this thread.

Lesia, I think that is a great idea!

I will try that!

 

[Alicatt]

Hi Bernaboo111 ! There's a thread further down that answers this, from my reading I got that oatmeal, cottage cheese, meal worms, scraps from fish or game, black oil sunflower seeds, yogurt are good choices, some people take the bacon grease and mix it with stuff, or put it on bread. Scratch is good because the corn is added energy. I work in a restaurant, duh, tons of scraps, meat and veg, and stale bread! Maybe local grocery store has a reduced section for overripe veggies?? The name of that thread was winter treats for chickens, or something along those lines, started 2-15-13, must have recently been revived because not too far back. Good luck with your chick chicks!

 

[Alicatt]

Thanks lesia! All very cool ideas, am looking forward to experimenting more and appreciate the input, can't wait to see how my chickens react to meat!!

 

[Lesia]

How r chicken doing? D:cdid you find something fun to feed them?

 

[sigmachigirl]

Glad I found this. Hadn't even thought of cottage cheese. Now that it's December and the cold snap just started my girls are acting like they're starving. Will have to get some extra things fixed up for them.