What treats?

[Clucky Carol]

I am still a relatively new, but totally besotted chicken keeper, they are such lovely and funny girls. They are all rescue hens but have settled in well in their new home since June. I am very repetitive in what I give them as treats, they love tinned tomatoes and sweet corn. However, I want to expand their range of new things. . . What works best?

Thank you so much, I love reading the questions and answers and have learnt a lot, off to clean out the coop this wet and windy morning on Exmoor!

[Freeranger]

Ours would move heaven & earth for mealworms. They also like mixed corn and chopped up fruit

[KathJ]

Mealworms (or mealy bugs as my dad calls them) are a definite hit with our girls and we always use them to get the girls back into their run as I think they'd follow the rattling cup with them in anywhere They've also recently gone mad for cucumber as we have an abundance of them in the greenhouse at the moment. I slice it down the middle and they peck at it until the skin is almost transparent

[Clucky Carol]

Thanks very much, are the mealworms the same as the ones for wild birds? They sounds lovely! I have an abundance of courgettes do you know if they are safe too? Thanks again, they are all very noisy this morning, but I think I disrupted their laying routine with cleaning out!

[chicks&cats]

They do like to tell you when they are laying

My girls also get called back from their free range time with mealworms and these are the same as the ones for wild birds, worth looking out for discounts as the chooks will enjoy....

Try to give them treats only from mid afternoon onwards to make sure they eat their layers pellets first which give them all the nutrients etc they need. Your girls will try to encourage you to give them more but

[Clucky Carol]

Dear Chicks and cats, thank you that's helpful, the do love to squawk and one of them is laying free range but I can't work out which one yet! I will look out for bargains, what about other fruit and veg ? I think I read melon on here before when it's hot? Thanks again.
C

[chicks&cats]

I keep the girls in their run during the morning so that they lay in their nesting box and it again encourages them to eat their pellets. Otherwise it can be a game of hunt the egg! I know people have fed their chooks melon but I am sure other laners will be able to fill in suitable veg and fruit etc from their experiences. My girls only get their mealworms and corn in the winter to keep them warm during the night

[KarenE]

Hi Carol

Mealworms definitely, my girls would sell their own grandmothers for them. I keep an eye out in the ££ shops & Home & Bargains type places and buy multiple packs when I find them, as they don't always stock them. Mealworms can be expensive if bought in normal birdfood places.

My girls love cherry tomatoes, sweetcorn, apples, grapes and raisins/sultanas. A peach disappeared in a flash yesterday. They also seemed to enjoy some leftover cooked broccoli and cauli too. They also seem to like blueberries and strawberries, but only when nicking them off plants! Melon they also loved over summer, and last autumn they had a pile of pumpkin insides which they also seemed to enjoy. Bread obviously although I keep that to a minimum. And mixed corn which they also love.

Honestly, if they think you eat it, they'll likely enjoy it.

They have also had live maggots which went down a treat but that's a no go since I left the lid of the maggot container off in the kitchen and... you can imagine the rest!

Like the others, I try to keep them in the run till the afternoon so they get some pellets down them. If I'm really sneaky, I'll make up a mash from their pellets which they also see as a real treat - but they don't know it's a healthy one!

[jackian]

! I have an abundance of courgettes do you know if they are safe too? !

Mine love courgettes peel and all. You can either cut them in half length ways and let them peck at them or chop them in a food processer and mix with other veg .
Mine love sunflower hearts and melon slices (the melon does get a bit grubby though before finished )

[aishakali]

GRAPES, grapes and more grapes! mine adore them. They also love mealworms, and even more so If I soak them in warm water for 15mins. They make that funny little "look what Iv'e found" noise, so sweet .

[Clucky Carol]

Dear All,
Thank you so much, I have had a lovely couple of hours with the girls, a bunch of grapes, some courgette and cooked pasta, the have been so entertaining! I've only given them small amounts to get them used to the new treats but they clearly loved them . . . Any more ideas very gratefully received! Thank you . . . And the maggot story reminded me of my Twin Brother who hid some maggots under his bed and left the lid off, we were woken to screaming . . .and I am afraid to say I laughed my head off . . .poor boy!! x

[Freeranger]

....and sweetcorn, split peas, lentils, sunflower seeds.... we boil up the peelings from the kitchen (swede, cabbage leaves, carrots, parsnips, trimmings from beans etc) and add in crushed, dried, eggshells and they really like that too. Ours have started to find their own treats, which is a bit revolting, but it keeps the rodent population down - weve seen them fight over a mouse!!

[Hintza]

Mine get the odd cabbage on a spike in the winter.

[FURNYFARMER]

i boil up the stalk of the brocolli which is left after taking off the florets, i boil it for about 10 minutes and they love it. they also go mad for lettuce