[redmolly]

My girls like their treats (which are only treats and are not daily - much to their annoyance!!!) - porridge, bread soaked in milk, natural yoghurt, tomato, potato, rice, pasta, celery, mango, mixed corn, sweetcorn, salmon, muesli, cheese (they had once!), prawns, scrambled egg, leftover sunday vegetables,....in fact they would eat anything!! Apart from carrots!!! However, my little cock.....likes nothing!!! He will only eat his pellets and the occasional bit of pasta!!! 

[8doubles]

My hens are a bit dim and think layer pellet `porridge` is a treat . Just add boiling water and let it cool a bit.
As said before a warm breakfast for frosty mornings.

[North Devon Dumpling]

My hens are a bit dim and think layer pellet `porridge` is a treat . Just add boiling water and let it cool a bit.
As said before a warm breakfast for frosty mornings.

Ours are the same they love this.  Ours get a handful of corn in the afternoons and about once a week they get a little crushed meal worm.   They like mash, pasta and rice, (of course not prepared in a kitchen where there is meat!  ), but we don't give them these things often as we worry they won't eat their layes mash and I think we have had some funny eggs after giving them too much of this type of carbohydrate- may not be linked but don't want to risk it.  Also when one of them was ill they got some cat food and it was a case of stand well back and watch them eat!  Again, don't give this to them as a routine.

[AmandaH]

A good rule someone told me on here (poss. grumpydad?) was "no treats until teatime".  That way they fill up on their pellets, get all their proper nutrition, and have treats afterwards.  Like "eat your dinner, or there's no pudding!" 

Mine get nothing but pellets and water until after 4pm (bit earlier now it's getting dark early) and then scoff down their treats before bed.  I might bend this rule slightly in the winter to give them warm porridge in the morning but otherwise it seems to be working.  Especially for Mave the Rave!

 

[sallylouise]

my chickens eat lots of different things their favourites are bolied eggs with the shell on, prawns, left over cereals with the milk, spaghetti, pasta, grapes and they love chicken carcasses and bones I don't feed them treats too much but if I have left overs they will eat it, my children love digging worms and slugs up for them and get very excited when they work out what they are doing.

[redmolly]

Ooooohh....boiled eggs with the shells on? Mashed not whole I hope??? Only you don't want to encourage them to start eating their own!
Love the kids digging for worms for them !

[Foxy]

my chickens eat lots of different things their favourites are bolied eggs with the shell on, prawns, left over cereals with the milk, spaghetti, pasta, grapes and they love chicken carcasses and bones I don't feed them treats too much but if I have left overs they will eat it, my children love digging worms and slugs up for them and get very excited when they work out what they are doing.

ummm....you really shouldn't feed chicken carcasses to chickens, since 2001 it has been outlawed the practice of feeding animal byproducts back into the food chain.

[Aunt Sally]

I hope you feed them on propper chicken food too !

[pink-chicken]

I try to make sure 'treats' fall into the bracket of anything that's good for them. They love baby spinach leaves, well chopped up, given every day as greens because they have a non grass floored pen. It never gives them 'the runs' like lettuce which I gave once and 'never again!' They adore Dandelion leaves chopped up and when available and I will be trying the flowers next year. Mealworms only occasionally, live not dried as I believe the dried ones have a lot of additives? Grapes and raisins occasionally. Earthworms and slugs are like caviar to them  They would probably kill for boiled corn on the cob, cooked without salt and removed from the stalk. And just occasionally when the weather is grotty a small sachet of cat food, fish type only, between four of them so it really is just a treat 
I try and avoid anything full of carbs though.

Jan.x

[redmolly]

Hi Jan.....corn on the cob minus the stalk........is the stalk bad for them then?? Mine have there's on the stalk, but if I shouldn't be doing that please let me know!! Thanks 

[Flowerpower136]

Do not feed bread as this can cause compaction of the crop.

Didn't know that, thank you!

[Flowerpower136]

Forgot to answer the question

Treats are strictly for afternoons after they've had a good nosh at the pellets.

Mixed corn seems favourite here, even preferable to tinned sweetcorn.  I make it go a bit further by mixing with layers mash, and making a mash by adding warm water.  Also a good medium for adding things like oyster shell or anything else you want to be certain of. 

When I go down the steps in the afternoon with the 'Green' bowl, they are all waiting at the gate, and the bowl usually gets knocked out of my hand under an avalanche of feathers and feet.  I always feel very guilty if I'm out for the afternoon, and know that they will be waiting in vain.

With other things, they all seem to have their own favourities.  Nelly will kill for a tomato, Paxo loves the smaller willow herb.  Mealworks generally go down well with everyone.  But generally fussy with greens.  Not one of them intersted in broccoli or lettuce!  Though they like parsely and a few of them like mint, which I'm now growing round the edge of the pen.

Just like peeps really, all have their own likes and dislikes.

[8doubles]

Forgot to answer the question

Treats are strictly for afternoons after they've had a good nosh at the pellets.

Mixed corn seems favourite here, even preferable to tinned sweetcorn.  I make it go a bit further by mixing with layers mash, and making a mash by adding warm water.  Also a good medium for adding things like oyster shell or anything else you want to be certain of. 

When I go down the steps in the afternoon with the 'Green' bowl, they are all waiting at the gate, and the bowl usually gets knocked out of my hand under an avalanche of feathers and feet.  I always feel very guilty if I'm out for the afternoon, and know that they will be waiting in vain.

With other things, they all seem to have their own favourities.  Nelly will kill for a tomato, Paxo loves the smaller willow herb.  Mealworks generally go down well with everyone.  But generally fussy with greens.  Not one of them intersted in broccoli or lettuce!  Though they like parsely and a few of them like mint, which I'm now growing round the edge of the pen.

Just like peeps really, all have their own likes and dislikes.

My speckled hen is the same, a lovely natured bird who will not peck even if i am  stealing eggs from under her. Tomatoes are another matter and have to be STOLEN from me at top speed.
I`m sure she thinks that nobody in their right mind would ever give a tomato away.

[Flowerpower136]

My speckled hen is the same, a lovely natured bird who will not peck even if i am  stealing eggs from under her. Tomatoes are another matter and have to be STOLEN from me at top speed.
I`m sure she thinks that nobody in their right mind would ever give a tomato away.

I grow Tomato 'Tumbler', so have lots to spare, and because they are small, Nell can grab and run.   She's the smallest hen, so just dives in under the mob and grabs.  Then she scoots off under the coop, chomps it down as fast as she can, then races back for another one.  The others don't really have a chance, she's so quick.  Nelly is the one that's always after my diamond ring.  She's a girl who knows what she wants.

[hillfooter]

TMG's post is a warning about feeding your chx sensibly.  Keep the treats to no more than around 5% to 10% of feed (around 12grams or half an ounce) per day in the evening so they've fed on a staple layers food during the day. 

Chx generally love anything with seeds such as melon, pumpkin seeds if you have any left over from Haloween, green peppers, etc also rice and pasta as well as the usual poultry corn, but keep it to a ration and don't over do protein.  Obese chx are unhealthy and there's conditions such as Fatty Liver disease which can be rapidly fatal.
Regards