Yogurt Follies!

[ci_cyfarth]

So today was the day that I finally -- finally! -- got around to bringing some yogurt home for my nearly four-week-old flock.

Now, so far the Nuggets (as I've come to refer to them in the collective) have been really quite clever about figuring out that The Hand is the source of interesting treats, and have learned to come running toward me when I sit by the brooder. This is all to the good until the treat is yogurt. I mean, yes, I put a little in my hand so that the girls would come over and try it and establish that it's food, but yogurt doesn't really work the same way as a handful of greens, or diced tomato, or a few mealworms.

And yet, for the life of me, I couldn't get my girls to figure out how to use the little bowl with the yogurt in it. I'd put a little bit of yogurt on a finger, lure one of my chicks over, and try to get her to make the connection. Instead, I spent several sessions kneeling next to the brooder being chewed on by four enthusiastic Chickzillas while I play in yogurt with my fingers.

I suppose it's one way to learn about chickens and bite pressure...

 

[Fierlin1182]

How cute! I love your name for the chicks, by the way.
Yoghurt is an exasperating one. They stare at the container like it contains some rare toxin, but I dip in a biscuit and they're all over it. Try with the biscuit, you might be able to stay out of the firing line that way.

 

[ci_cyfarth]

I hadn't thought about biscuits. Hmm. That could be an excuse to make biscuits! (Or pancakes. Mmm, pancakes...)

I did try sprinkling a little bit of feed on top, but that wasn't particularly effective except to add some texture to the yogurt on my fingers. They did seem to like the texture, though!

 

[PeepinChicken]

Have you tried putting little dabs of yogurt around, they cannot resist the urge to peck something that's "out of place"?
I noticed your chicks share my Birthday...lol

 

[NeTNChknLover]

How cute! I hadn't thought of yogurt! Great idea! Good luck on getting them to figure it out!

 

[ci_cyfarth]

I hadn't thought of doing sneaky yogurt "drops" here and there -- I think I want to avoid the poop-and-shavings effect there -- but I am going to try a shallower dish, and possibly combining it with a sprinkling of other goodies, like maybe a mealworm or fruit "garnish" to get them hooked.

It's so funny, though. Some of them seem to have favorite treats. Our Australorp is the tomato champion, but our Barred Rock is the yogurt queen.

 

[ci_cyfarth]

New trick: spoons! They'll eat yogurt from spoons.

Crazy, crazy chickens.

 

[PeepinChicken]

Show them the spoon's...lol that should prove well in other "gooey"
offerings as well