[alisonwo]

I read that someone fed their chickens porridge, well I tried that this morning and it totally bombed, they wouldn't touch it, nor the nettles I tried yesterday strung up. have just chucked in a lemon balm plant that seems to grow like weeds in my garden and they loved it, cooked chopped carrots they like, and my fingers it seems.

What else can I give them please? 

[Roughlee Handled]

I assume that you are giving them layers mash or pellets, and your talking about treets?

Try this link: http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=36282.msg433554#msg433554

Purchased
Split corn
Meal worms
Cat food!!!!!

Free
Worms
Tender green shoots of your prize (___________) plant.
Any veg pants that have started to grow.
Mice (No joke they will eat them if they catch them)
Frogs (No joke they will eat them if they catch them)

[andreadon]

sounds about right, ruff!

don't forget that they'll love to dig into anything you don't want them to eat, so you might be wise to cordon it all off!
(and no, they're not fooled when you pretend that the food you want to give them is something they're not allowed!!!)
 

[Sparr0wman]

How do you prepare the Veg? i have been just throwing in the leaves all torn up of course. and the odd cabage heart for them to peck at, not that they have been intersted in the cabbage..
        this afternoon i boiled some leeks. ( 5 mins ) my wife came in and said " ooh something smells nice" i replied "erm yes..., its for the chooks" 

[janeheritage]

Mine really like bean sprouts that have been allowed to get a bit big and green. Also if they have to stay in their run I have a few turves of grass saved which are allowed to get long and give them the chance to pick and peck. They love their grass, but seem to prefer to pick their own 

[caralouise1974]

Sunflower seeds, both with the black shells on and with them off are the clear winner for our girls, and they are very healthy snacks for them too. Lots of protein and good stuff which heleps with their feathering. Closely followed by pumpkin seeds and brazil nuts.

Also maggots from the fishing tackle shop, cherry tomatoes (our bluebelle goes nuts for them, but the orpington couldn't care less), bread (very naughty, and only in very small pieces so their crops don't get impacted), raw broccoli, worms, beetles (anything that wriggles really!), spaghetti, and actually, they really do love grass. And yes, they prefer to pick their own than have the contents of the lawnmower thrown in at them.

Fussy little darlings!

[David.]

Sunflower seeds, both with the black shells on and with them off are the clear winner for our girls, and they are very healthy snacks for them too. Lots of protein and good stuff which heleps with their feathering.

Doesn't that conflict with previous advice here? on http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=7905.0

What about sunflower seeds?

There is too much oil in sunflower seeds David, can cause liver problems and hinder dcalcium uptake 

as anty says basing a feed on just sunflower can cause problems some birds actually react badly to it after eating just a few kernels i found its down to  the seed massing ( the oils make it gluey ) in the grinding part of the chickens gut .

[caralouise1974]

I was told by the breeder I bought the birds from and also by our vet that a few sunflower seeds are a really good supplement for supporting egg laying (source of protein) and feathering (small amounts of oil). The shells are particularly beneficial apparently. As with everything we feed our hens, it's a case of moderation and restraint.

Our girls would love to eat them all day every day, but that would of course be a very unbalanced diet. A few here and there makes a healthy treat, and is surely far better for them than feeding random kitchen scraps as treats, such as potato, bread and pasta, which have no nutritional value whatsover.

I stick by the idea that these natural whole foods are better for the girls than processed kitchen rubbish. You just have to give them in small sensible amounts - as, has rightly been pointed out, too much protein and lipids (in fact, too much of any one thing) can actually be harmful to them in the long run.

[Harry Flashman VC]

My chickens won't touch nettles that about the only plant that will grow in their part of the allotment.  I hang up burdock leaves and throw in any weeds out of the raised beds

[Roughlee Handled]

Sunflower seeds, both with the black shells on and with them off are the clear winner for our girls,............

I was told by the breeder I bought the birds from and also by our vet that a few sunflower seeds are a really good supplement for supporting egg laying ........

I think I can here an echo in here.

[LittleRedHen]

I let Comfrey grow rampid in my back garden for the hens and wouldn't you know, they're just not having it.  So now it goes in the composter.  My comfrey seedlings seem to be especially delicious.  Sigh.  As are my cornflower plants and Bee Balm.   

[alisonwo]

Thanks everyone picked up some good ideas here, although perhaps I might be trying too hard with them.  They have free access to layers pellets, and worms from the compost heap which they go nuts for, and I dig the garden over for them as well.  Talking of pellets,  I know we have at least one rat living in the compost, (the dog killed another one recently), with this in mind should I be only putting out enough layers pellets for the day, they do tend to scatter them about, and this stuff is not cheap, do I really want to be feeding rats as well?

[Sopho]

my girls go mad over grapes, worms, cherry tomatos, white cabbage strung up in the coop and they love to have a peck at my dogs nose!

[too many girls]

my girls go mad over grapes, worms, cherry tomatos, white cabbage strung up in the coop and they love to have a peck at my dogs nose!

dog's noses are deffo off the menu here, unless a chook wants to lose it's head........