Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: Beano on January 14, 2010, 13:51
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I find it very difficult not to give the girls treats. I start off with just the occasional treat and it seems to build. We leave the house for work at 7.30am and come home around 5.30pm. I feel a bit guilty for leaving them all day, especially in this rotten weather. This morning there was tomato, cheese and lettuce in the treat bowl. I know that I have to rain it in and do so whenever I catch myself giving them too much but it is very difficult. Does anyone else have the same problem?
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Yes! But they do love them so ::)
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yes, they tend to have corn most evenings, but OH always slips something else in, mealworms, sweetcorn, melon, tomato.
difficult, especialyy this weather when they just stay in the run
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Everytime I open the patio door they come running from wherever they are rosey away to see me and I feel I just have to give them a treat. Mind you thats probably why they come running now they have caught on. Its hard not to treat them though they are so funny but I am going to have to be strong when I deworm them as they must eat their pellets.
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Yes, that happens here too. They come running up to me and it is difficult to ignore that.
Poppy also has a habit of hanging around after the other two have gone in. That's when her and I have a chat, mostly about how she's my favorite. My neighbour also listens in on these private chats, he told me so. Fortunately he knows I'm not crazy, just a bit odd.
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I told myself I'd only feed them treats in the run so I knew I could get them in from free ranging the garden .... but they flock to the back door anyway ... must have slipped up somewhere ::)
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They're worse than a begging puppy, very hard to resist.
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Yes, and not just us - the neighbours feed them on much better treats than we do. If we're giving them something and she appears, then they leave us and rush off to her. Little toads.
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Oh we are naughty aren't we!
Ours have had cherries, apricots, tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, cabbage, corn, squash, pumpkin, brocolli, yoghurt, bananas, porridge...golly it looks really bad in a list but the weather has been awful and there was no where for them to find worms, or even a green leaf or blade of grass.
And they have been sharing with the wild birds ;)
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I was wondering about giving mine porridge when it was cold but wasnt sure if it was any good for them. Is it best to give it to them made with milk or water or half and half? Havent given my chickens any dairy yet wasnt sure about whether they could handle it or not
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Well, we've been giving them potrridge in this really cold weather but drwan a line with making it with milk - make ours with water,
Not sure if the weather is affecting our girls but one laid an egg no bigger than a quail egg yesterday !!!
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I have seen advice on here for NO milk :)
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Make it with water, hens can tolerate a little milk but not a lot, besides porrige made with water still tastes nice and creamy :D
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My girls get there treats at the weekends, they bang very loudly on the french doors to let me know they are waiting. They had corn and grated cheese today and I've strung up a cabbage to keep them going during the week while I'm at work!
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I give my girls warm porage mixed with sweetcorn every night just before bedtime. ::) Please don't tell anyone or my reputation would be ruined. :lol:
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Make it with water, hens can tolerate a little milk but not a lot, besides porrige made with water still tastes nice and creamy :D
Yes, made ours with water too - mostly. There have been one or two days when there has been a little slug of milk too, and sometimes poultry spice or garlic powder (they wont touch the water if I put garlic in it)
Am sure they must be ok with some diary as live yoghurt is a regular 'tonic' on most forums for tummy problems. Ours prefer fruit yoghurt - typical! :)