[dawnie77]

Hello all, im new to keeping chicken and so far seem to be doing well, think i might have the bug already lol there so relaxing to watch.

Was just wondering what yummy treats i could buy or make that they will enjoy? ive read yougurt with oats(an they be just breakfast plain porrige oats?)
Any idea im sure my chicks will appreciate
Thanks
Dawn
 

[terri]

they love mealworms ,in fact they pretty much eat anything ,you can tie up a corn on cob for them to jump up at eat 

[dawnie77]

Thankyou for your reply. gonna put them on the shopping list lol

[joyfull]

remember treats such as sunflower seeds, rice, pasta, mealworms, etc are just that treats (like our chocolate) and as such should not be given too often.

[dawnie77]

thankyou, i often dig up a few worms for them, well my 4 yr old son does. want them to be as tame as poss, cant belive how much pleasure i get from sitting out with them lol
they feed out of my hand and follow me around.
just got 2 more 6 week chicks last week so at the moment got them seperate until i feel they can be together, my other 4 are 11 weeks so are alot bigger in size. hoping in about a month they will be bigger enough to fend for themselves.
loving every min, just want a bigger space, altho i feel they have enough and are allowed out of there area for a hours munch on the grass.

[Lindeggs]

Chickens can eat pretty much anything humans can eat, within reason.  Just be careful not to give them too much salt (so no crisps, bacon, salted peanuts, etc) and be aware that they do need a balanced diet to have the best health.  

Mine seem to like eating bugs the best.  They are currently off soft things like worms and slugs, but really like crunchy bugs like crickets.  

[dawnie77]

cheers, they seemed to enjoy a low fat natural yogurt with some porrage oats mixed in, but they aint touched the nice fresh corn on the cob hanging, there still the 2 big bites my son pinched before i put it in there lol

[8doubles]

Half a dozen kernels of whole (dried) maize each is good for getting them eating out of your hand. If you train them to jump up on a perch to get it they are easily picked up for inspection/medication etc.

[orchardlady]

Just had a look at my old posts and found this. Perfect in the winter or any time of year really. The hens just love it and of course you can reduce the quantities for just a few birds or you can make lots of small ones to have a ready supply. I haven't tried it on my wild bird table but I bet they would enjoy it to.

Orchardlady



http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=68249.msg785071#msg785071

[LittleRedHen]

Okay, this might seem a little 'out there' but I give mine Pigeon Conditioner seed mix(the small fine variety)  also safflower seeds, groaties, and red wheat.  This is just a handful for the entire garden a day.  Yum, yum, yum! 

[dawnie77]

cant belive how much they can have, got them some mealworms today, looking forward to seeing how they enjoy them 
is it a case of the better there feed the better the egg??

[Lindeggs]

cant belive how much they can have, got them some mealworms today, looking forward to seeing how they enjoy them 
is it a case of the better there feed the better the egg??

Yes.  But 'better' doesn't mean more treats.  It means a carefully balanced diet.  That means a well formulated layer ration, unlimited access to cool, fresh water, and plenty of good quality fresh food like grass, bugs, etc.

[Sooz]

Melon seeds, the left over part from red/green peppers chopped up small, chopped cucumber, even chopped onions.
Mine go mad for these. It's as though they haven't eaten for a week!!!

[dawnie77]

mine have growers pellets down all the time which they do eat and as an afternoon snack they get a cupfull of mixed corn then when i go spend a bit of time in the eve with them i take them a treat which is either tomatoes/cucumber , soaked mealworms or low fat natural yogurt with porriage oats and a sprinkle of garlic powder, i kinda figured that garlic is good for us and dogs so maybe it will be good for them too, does this all sound ok??.

[8doubles]

mine have growers pellets down all the time which they do eat and as an afternoon snack they get a cupfull of mixed corn then when i go spend a bit of time in the eve with them i take them a treat which is either tomatoes/cucumber , soaked mealworms or low fat natural yogurt with porriage oats and a sprinkle of garlic powder, i kinda figured that garlic is good for us and dogs so maybe it will be good for them too, does this all sound ok??.

There has to be a law against garlic yogurt and garlic porridge ........eeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwww !