Chickens!!!

Re: Chickens!!!

Vicky RVN — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:46:47 GMT

Ah thanks for the tips, i'll pass them on! My sis puts bark in the bottom of their huge run (fills up the whole bottom of their garden!) and they like pecking around in that! She may not be too keen on the live food thing!

Re: Chickens!!!

Louise B — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:32:04 GMT

Hi,

Sorry - only heard about this thread late last night *thanks caro* and was too tired to visit!

Depends how much time you have as to what you can do to enrich the lives of your chooks:

I haven't heard of any food balls for chickens but a popular trick for cooped birds is to make a hole through the centre of e.g. a cabbage, thread some rope through it and knot the end and then attach the other end to the top of the coop so that it hangs down. Apparently they love pecking at it.

Otherwise, depending on the size available to you, get a deep sided cat litter box or a small children's plastic sandpit, fill it with leaves (easiest to clean up)/straw/hay/soil. The 1st time just use a thin layer. Then get some maggots (tackle shops/some pets@home - but cheaper off of ebay or Rickslivefoods.co.uk or similar) or some non-flying insects, sprinkle a handful through the leaves and leave them to enjoy the day foraging. You can also do similar without using live food - e.g. they really love semi-moist dogfood (that stuff that looks like maggots and is reddish), or chopped up peices of omlette, meat, peas, etc (they like most things), or glue very small pots (e.g. macdonalds salsa dip pots) to the base of the cat litter tray and put a different tasty snack in each and then cover it up with loads of leaves.

Re: Chickens!!!

Vicky RVN — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:02:19 GMT

POHM are you there?!

Re: Chickens!!!

Vicky RVN — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:39:31 GMT

I was hoping POHM might see this thread!

My sis gives them all sorts of veggies There is something she gives them warm that she's read about. Ah i'll suggest hanging carrots and sprouts. She said they know what veg they do and don't like! She gave them apples and they left them, if she holds the apple for them they'll eat it! Daft birds!

Re: Chickens!!!

funkyfish — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:07:12 GMT

Hello!

My parents hens always enjoyed a special treat of all the veg peelings boilled up with some corn fed warm for tea after we'd had our x-mas dinner, or for breakfast on Boxing day. Aslo if you buy carrots with the tops on/brussel sprouts on the stalk they are fun for them when hung up in random locations.

Re: Chickens!!!

Nick Shackleton — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:35:13 GMT

[quote user="Caro Laithwaite"]

Ask POHM she works with chickens all the time it is her job.

[/quote]

The Chicken lady

Re: Chickens!!!

Caro Laithwaite VN — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:21:33 GMT

Ask POHM she works with chickens all the time it is her job.