# Does anyone else spoil their hens?



## HeyHeyEvie

I was out this morning pulling my eggs and putting feed down, and my girls were in their outdoor pen to forage. When they found out that all they were getting was nasty old laying pellets, boy were they angry! I was afraid people in the next county over would hear them griping! My feathered friends get old cereal, bread, and French fries all the time. Does anyone else spoil their lovely ladies?


----------



## cogburn

Yes mam, I give em goodies all the time.. Just gave some bread and buns to a mess of birds in the front yard. And some purple hull peas and stale cheerios out the back door to some others.. They eat all our food scraps..


----------



## Jeremysbrinkman

My big girls free range all day and meet me at the car when I get home because I usually do not eat my entire lunch ( leftovers) . I give it to them then. They also get any green stuff from the kitchen or some my dogs won't eat.


----------



## 7chicks

Oh gosh yes. Who could ever say no to those little fuzzy faces! Golden Crisp Cereal is their all time fav treat right along with oatmeal & yogurt.


----------



## rob

mine love the dried mealworms i give them in the evening. and also the mixed corn. ive tried the with other foodstuff but apart from sweetcorn ive not found anything they will eat.


----------



## fuzziebutt

I have gone to the bait shop and bought the rotten little brats some live crickets, and turned them loose in the coop on rainy days. Chicken TV at it's best! Especially if the chickens are just babies, they aren't too sure about the crickets, then one will get a bug and play keep away, then they notice that crickets are everywhere, and it's on!!


----------



## DansChickens

I do the same with cereal crackers etc.


----------



## HeyHeyEvie

That's awesome. I'm glad I'm not the only one! Its nice to spoil your animals some times. My dog and cat are rotten too!


----------



## robopetz

Our lil Sophie got mad just because we relocated her food bowl. It seems she will notice any slight change and will through our a big fuss over it. We then put it back exactly like it was then she was in instant silence like "ok much better" what a brat!!! Lol


----------



## 7chicks

They sure have their preferences don't they. My new hen went to take a bite from Lilah's personal dish last night. That did NOT go over well. Lilah was so mad. Mad already that she had someone sharing her perch. See when Lilah was little, she was so pecked on, that I set her up her own perch & food dish. Figured after awhile I'd be able to take it out since I set it up with saw horses. Just a temporary deal to help her get through the rough patch of transitioning. Well, she gets along fine now with the others but she also does not like to share her perch! Or food dish apparently. She's the most headstrong brat of them all. I perhaps indulged her a "wee" too much when she was little.  

This is Lilah - my stubborn sweet bundle of fluff.


----------



## robopetz

7chicks said:


> They sure have their preferences don't they. My new hen went to take a bite from Lilah's personal dish last night. That did NOT go over well. Lilah was so mad. Mad already that she had someone sharing her perch. See when Lilah was little, she was so pecked on, that I set her up her own perch & food dish. Figured after awhile I'd be able to take it out since I set it up with saw horses. Just a temporary deal to help her get through the rough patch of transitioning. Well, she gets along fine now with the others but she also does not like to share her perch! Or food dish apparently. She's the most headstrong brat of them all. I perhaps indulged her a "wee" too much when she was little.
> 
> This is Lilah - my stubborn sweet bundle of fluff.


That is too cute! She's like, mama gave me this, so it's MINE! Lol


----------



## Homegirl

Oh I would NEVER spoil my gang. Just organic feed, Rock-N-Rooster scratch that they will wait an hour (timed) to get, mealworms in the evening,table scraps.. But DO NOT offer lentils... or cabbage, lettuce. Not happening...Warm oatmeal in the winter...not they are not spoiled


----------



## HeyHeyEvie

Just went out with this evenings treat bowl, and managed to get some pretty great photos! Thought I'd share with everyone! Got some of my jealous pup in there too! He begs for something out of the treat bowl every time.

















































































Anyone know what the small white speckled he s are?


----------



## Lady_Alia

Well, if you ask me I'd say I don't. However, if you ask anyone else....well....lets just not ask anyone else lol
Spoiling my birds is one of those simple things that bring me sooooo much joy!!


----------



## geminicowgirl

I buy all kinds of goodies for my gals. I hit up the discount rack in the produce section, my gals had ripe avocado today but usually get sweet corn, grapes, bread. I even spice up their layer ration with some wild song bird seed. They go crazy for it. I even keep a stash of canned tuna in olive oil for a special treat. I hate tuna but chicks go crazy for it. Let me tell ya my obsession is not cheap but I am rewarded with the most delicious eggs everrrrrrr


----------



## kazmac

Hi I do to. Any veg that i'm doing they get the cooked peelings, bread, cake, apples. If i'm in the kitchen cooking with the door open, they come in to see if there is anything for them. They even go into the stables with the horses and have a bit og dinner with them.  One of my battery hens


----------



## 7chicks

What a sweetheart you have kazmac! Bet she's sooo happy to have you!!! 

My german was getting jealous of my girls getting garden fresh tomatoes this summer. Finally one day she tried one that the girls had been eating. Now she loves them and fights with my RIR sass Abbie to snatch one.


----------



## chickflick

Gosh, my hens eat just about everything!! Mac and cheese is their favorite. Right now they're getting scrambled turkey eggs mixed with their mac and cheese. I always say, nothing goes to waste here. My kids even save their leftovers for the chickens. Spoiled? Naw. Their doing me a favor and keeping the garbage in the landfills down!!


----------



## Energyvet

That's the spirit. Making intelligent choices. Being green. That's why we got chickens right?


----------



## mcderry1967

Gosh, mine are spoiled too. They see me coming out at mid day and they go crazy running across the field to greet me. They love blueberries!! Cheese is a 2nd great treat!


----------



## Matunda

I am glad to hear if all these happily spoiled hens. My 5 girls get upset when I come out to see them without a treat. They get all sorts of leftovers. Which really helps keeping old stuff out of my fridge. Their latest new food was a few tinny persimmons from our tree.


----------



## rob

mine enjoyed some left over pasta yesterday. and some mixed corn today.


----------



## kaufranc

Any leftovers go to the chickens! They love rice, pasta and our left over pumpkins from the holidays!


----------



## sandra

Mine love tomatoes. I haven't given them any processed food. I'm kinda scared to give them anything that us not something they can find on their own.


----------



## Kellence

This is spoilt being tucked in at night when I first put then in a coop from being in the bathroom I would put this old jumper in the tumble dryer for a few mins the put it in the coop they would run across and huddle up for the night there is about 8 in there all snug.


----------



## BlackCrowFarm

I guess you could say we spoil our feathered friends because in the winter we cook for them & in the summer they get all sorts of tasty extras.


----------



## toybarons

Where to begin? MY birds get tin cat food on a regular basis. They love cottage cheese and mashed boiled eggs. My house chickens enjoy ice cream, pasta, cooked rice, chopped grapes, bread, and...oh you are not going to believe me, but my roo demands his own glass of water when we watch tv together. He will stand there on the sofa arm and stare at me or my husband until one of us gets him is water. See my avatar? That's the roo I'm talking about. You don't want that staring down his beak at you * hee hee*


----------



## mellie

I am teaching my smartest girl to jump for her treat. She loves the wax worms my daughter buys for her lizards. Betty White is one smart chicken. Lucy, the redhead... ain't too smart. Ethel is a chow hound. I'm busy collecting feathers so I can make a christmas tree out of their feathers. Yes, they get treats. Spoiled beyond words.


----------



## Diane

my husband thinks I'm nuts, I am going to have him read this thread
I can't free range mine, to many critters, but they have a 12 x 22 run (9 chickies)

Mine like a variety of things, crickets, dried mealworms, CLOVER is HUGE, I am growing some for them in the house right now I make them a scratch with millet, sunflower, flaxseed, their crumble, oats, and any other type of "seed".. Right now with the days being rather chilly, I have made them up a mixture of all organic, couscous, rice, breakfast mix w/flaxseed(kinda like oatmeal), polenta, dried fruits , fruity oatmeal, I mash it up and mix some warm water in it again, with some of their crumbles, and they go crazy for it.. Yes I do think my hens see me as a food source first


----------



## colingm

We have a little girl who was hand reared she sits on your shoulder and gets hand fed but I do insist she sleeps in the coop with all the girls.


----------



## eqstrnathlete

I keep a large bowl in the kitchen. We throw all kinds of scraps in it from potato skins, veggies trimmings, leftovers etc. when they see me walking out with that bowl they come running!


----------



## colingm

Our hand raised Chicky


----------



## CharlieEcho

*Meal worms;*

I just picked up two packages of meal worms today. Our chickens seem to know if I have them in hand. They will flock to me expecting a treat. I dole them out though as a treat only once in a while.


----------



## chickflick

Beware of raw potato skins. Heard they are toxic to chickens.


----------



## farmerdan

chickflick said:


> Beware of raw potato skins. Heard they are toxic to chickens.


I've feed them to my chickens all the time and never had any problems. Where did you hear that they are toxic to chickens?


----------



## fuzziebutt

Hi farmerdan the Steeler fan!! Bahahahaaa, I kill me! I have long heard that the raw green peelings are toxic. I fed raw peels to my flockers, then heard that, and was afraid to, so I just microwaved the peels for a few minutes (really old microwave) and then I had a clear conscience.


----------



## colingm

I am a Steelers fan in New Zealand we cook the potato skins no problem but the green ones we don't give them


----------



## ForeverFeathered

Our girls have their very own parrot play perch  because they're smaller sized both can play around... I actually enjoy cleaning the coop so it's almost always clean  I can honestly say they too are spoiled beyond words c;


----------



## sandra

ForeverFeathered said:


> Our girls have their very own parrot play perch  because they're smaller sized both can play around... I actually enjoy cleaning the coop so it's almost always clean  I can honestly say they too are spoiled beyond words c;


I was just telling husband he needs to build me a chicken stand aka parrot stand. My Pippgy girl likes to play with the toys for parrots. I take my little Pippy to the office with me. Clients come the office and they stop and stare at my Pippy. I calmly say to them,"she's a rare southern parrot". OMG they look at me and then they just start laughing their asses off! Really breaks any tension so to speak. My employees say I'm excentric! They're probably right! LOL


----------

