What special care do you give your flock?

[ChickyWhicky]

I throw a handful of cat food out on super cold winter days. They go nuts for it and I like to think its a little morale boost! Winters here are harsh and mostly no foraging available, so try to give them a little extra. Oh, they also get the deer carcasses to pick at once we have harvested the meat- another fan favorite!

 

[Labsandchickens8]

Apart from the feed and water, I feel like a lot of us each have our own special thing we do to take extra care of our flocks on a regular basis.
I thought it might be fun for us all to share.

For example, we give our girls a couple drops of organic oregano oil in their water.

What's the little extra tlc you give your flocks?

I like that! Will have to try it.

 

[DonyaQuick]

Mine is hug time. All of my chickens are super friendly. My smaller flocks get hugs at coop cleaning time. I sit and have a coffee just after dawn with my large flock every day and the chickens rotate on and off of my lap, roosters included. I have caught many issues early with that bit of routine.

 

[BURNIE450]

I live in Ohio and in spring it gets really wet so I use pelletized bedding in the pen to soak up water I also use crushed food pellets to spread around in it works amazing a the chickens and ducks love it.

 

[BoundlessLove]

Slices of watermelons or just cut them in half and watch chickens go crazy. They love watermelon.

 

[RadEggs]

I give mine oatmeal as a treat on cold mornings, invite their favorite people over every year for their adoption-day, and sometimes take them inside when the weather is nice for a little spa and checkup. The spa consists of an epsom salt bath, oats to snack on, and a blowdry. Depending on whos getting a spa, sometimes non toxic sparkle blue nail polish too. Not all of them like the polish.

Forgot.to add that I bribe them to go back in the coop, and have Hazel trained (not the one in the photo) to hop up onto the roost, and eat her snack off of my hand.

 

[RadEggs]

Ridiculous. People have been feeding chickens scraps for thousands of years. My own chickens eat scraps, bugs, dog poop, decaying predator corpses, poisonous plants that would instantly kill mammals, etc. They're basically little dinosaurs that eat absolutely anything they can, and they're perfectly healthy doing so and make healthy eggs

The list of things mine has eaten would scare any pet owner. Esther has eaten: a drop of paint primer, metal, beads, plastic bits, shards of glass, modpodge off my fingers, a NEON purple mushroom, string, paper (my homework :/ ), one of her feathers, fabric, and some other things I forgot. She is fine, somehow???? I dont even know where she finds all the glass????? Or that we had neon purple mushrooms where I live???

 

[RadEggs]

We love when they do this,we refer to it as a chicken version of capture the flag

I call it capture the flag or keep away!!!!!

 

[FunnyBunny89]

I give my girls a daily treat of Bar Ale "Party Pak" and they absolutely love it. They come when I call if they think it's treat time, and the roo will start alerting to food before I even open the bucket I give them apple cider vinegar with the mother in it occasionally as well, to help with poopy butts. Just a teaspoon in a gallon goes a long way. Keeps the water feeder cleaner too. When the heat comes, I give them strawberry scraps, blueberries, and watermelon to help them stay hydrated, but not every day. In the winter, or when they're molting, I give them scrambled eggs and oats, sometimes I blend them together. Helps their feathers come back faster and keeps them warm (I think).

So far it has been a year and two months since I started my flock and I haven't lost a chicken to disease or mystery yet! *knocks on wood*

As a side note, my chickens free range much of the time and I saw one of my 8 week old chicks swallow a frog or a toad whole she was savage about it.

 

[dearmeghann]

Thawed out frozen blueberries! I can't ever wear dark nail polish, or they think I have them on my fingers, haha! They like the curly bits of kale, and love romaine lettuce. Oregano and thyme are a hit, and they LOOOVE pineapple sage.