Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Poultry and Pets => Chicken Chat => Topic started by: pandoradeus on August 10, 2010, 11:20

Title: meal worm seedball things
Post by: pandoradeus on August 10, 2010, 11:20
the kids love the chickens and are on the lookout for yummy things to eat - those suet mealworm seed things that are in pet shops for wild birds, are the ok for the Ladies, thought I'd check first before letting said children spend bucket loads on the revolting looking things! The mealworm thigs that is not the Ladies!
Title: Re: meal worm seedball things
Post by: Sue33 on August 10, 2010, 12:22

i think as a special treat they are ok, my girls love them if they get hold of them, but remember they are full of fat, usually there's a few sunflower seeds left at the bottom after the wild birds have had them off the bird table and the chickens go mad for them  :D
Title: Re: meal worm seedball things
Post by: Casey76 on August 10, 2010, 12:25
Suet balls are very bad for chickens - in the sense that they are bound with saturated fat.  As you are feeding your hens every day (and they aren't left to forage for themselves) they don't need the energy boost wild birds do in winter :)

For treats, stick with simple things... a few meal worms or a small handful of mixed grain on a night :)
Title: Re: meal worm seedball things
Post by: evie2 on August 10, 2010, 13:34
would the seed balls be ok as a winter treat?
Title: Re: meal worm seedball things
Post by: pandoradeus on August 10, 2010, 13:36
we went for the less attractive option, mealworms - Rose turned her beak up and Donna nearly fell over trying to hoover them up!