WitchHazel Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 (edited) I go into the Run and give the chooks some treats every day at about 2pm. Every day, or so it seems, they have me in stitches. Yestsrday, part of their treat was penne. The way they snatch a piece out of the bowl and then make a run for it before it gets stolen is SO funny. I can't believe that anything hen shaped can move so quickly! Tody was Squash. I'd read on the Forum (where else?!) that chickens like squashes, and someone (sorry, can't remember who) mentioned they put half in and the chickens just got on with it. Well, I tried that. Delilah had one peck and turned up her beak at it. The others didn't even try. I hung up their greens "swingball" which had a bit of squash in, and left them to it. They fought over the squash in the swingball, but wouldn't even look at the poor squash on the ground. So I went out, poked a hole in the squash, put some string through, and hung iut up next to the swingball. Back to the kitchen, watched them ignore it. So I went out again, and this time I wedged the squash in the shrub that lives in their run. And by the time I got back into the kitchen, they were standing side by side going mad eating it. (First time all three of them have shared anything) Some time later, they were all pacing around the run looking a bit miserable, and I couldn't see the squash. It had fallen, face down, on the floor. So I went out AGAIN, cut it in half again lengthways, and wedged it in the shrub again. This time, if it falls down they will still be able to get to at least one side. I was amazed at how much of it was gone. They really get through the things they like, don't they? Sorry to ramble on, but they just amaze me and I wanted to share. Edited March 12, 2008 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Comical aren't they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superjules Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Mine will fight over pretty much anything if it's hanging up, although they're much more fussy if it's just on the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 (edited) Shirley is like this when she catches a worm. She runs around the garden squarking like mad attracting attention, with the worm sticking out of her beak. If she just shut up and ate it, no one would know The comedy value of chickens is massive Edited March 12, 2008 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 When I took sweetcorn out for my two, my Speckledy used to leap about two feet into the air to peck at the tin! The real comedienne in the group now, though, is Gytha - she struts around in her baggy bloomers making funny little honking noises, and is insatiably curious. She loves to fly up onto the living-room windowsill to see what we are up to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 you ramble on all you like - we love chicken adventure stories! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwichick Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 I hung up their greens "swingball" Please tell me more about this wonder invention. I gave mine a whole apple the other day, expecting them to turn their beaks up at it, but they devoured the whole thing in an afternoon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted March 12, 2008 Author Share Posted March 12, 2008 Please tell me more about this wonder invention. It's a dog toy from Pets at Home etc. It's a hollow ball" with a honeycombed exterior. It was recommended on here (where else!?) for stuffing with veggies and giving to the chooks to kick around. My girls ignore it when it's on the floor, so I hung it from one of the perches with string. Now they use it like a swingball, wither (a) pecking it to make it whirk round, or (b) with two chickens pecking it from one to the other, Endless fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted March 12, 2008 Author Share Posted March 12, 2008 The real comedienne in the group now, though, is Gytha Ooh, I'd originally picked "Esme" "Gytha" and "Magrat" as the name for my chooks. Then I decided that I wanted a black cochin, and cochins seemed more of an "Agnes Nitt" shape to me, so I thought I'd better get four hens. When I mentioned, in a restaurant in front of our eldest son and his wife, the F word (Four), my DH was Not Amused. He exploded in a rather loud voice (which was a shock, his nickname is Whispering Geoff) "When did it get to FOUR?!!!!!. I explained about a Cochin being an Agnes, and you couldn't go from Gytha to Agnes without having a Magrat. Anyway. The F word was not mentioned again, I ended up with 3 hens, and I didn't have the heart to use the names I'd picked originally. I;m very pleased to see the names in use though, even if not for my hens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
