4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[jane carter]

Hi

anyone got any ideas about tasty treats i can give my chicks over the winter? , i give them sweetcorn which they love.

cheers jane

[Olly]

I give mine the same as they get in summer! i.e. cooked potato peelings, the cores of any red peppers, broccoli, leaves off the cauliflower - in fact, any vegetable s"Ooops, word censored!"s from my cooking or any left-over cooked potato, rice or pasta.

 

I buy any veg that are reduced in Waitrose, I often pick up lettuces for 10p or so.

 

Another treat they like if it's very cold or damp is a bit of porridge made with water, not milk - chuck a few raisins and they'll go mad for it!

[Hen Watch]

My lot get the same winter and summer. I do try and give more green stuff though (like brocolli stalks, cabbage etc) since with shorter days and wet weather they get less free ranging time to nibble the garden.

[jane carter]

Hi Ollie

oh great advice cheers, being veggie we always have leftover bits and bobs, and i particularyly ( soorry, not quite with it yet, unlike the girls!....), like the idea of looking in the reduced section at supermarket.Brill!! thanks so much!

jane xxx

[Olly]

well I've probably got a reputation at my local Waitrose as 'that woman who comes in just before closing time and buys manky lettuces'! You can get some amazing bargains.

 

Mine have tried practically everything (except avocado and citrus peel) - they don't turn their beaks up at much. They also like windfall apples, over-ripe bananas and curiously enough, they make a beeline for the horseradish patch when I let them out, they love pecking the leaves.

[jane carter]

hi olly

yay.... good for you if they do think you're the lady who buys the manky lettuces! These supermarkets make shed loads of money out of us! I may go and annoy my local waitrose and we can start a club of manky lettuce ladies!! cheers for the tips, my girls will be evn more spoilt now!

have aggreat day

jane xx

[Falkor]

well if us weird manky veg ladies didn`t buy it to the animals then they would bin it....what a waste!

[pistachio]

the thing to do if you really had no pride would be to look in the supermarket bins out book like those urban scrounger eco warriors do. Now that could be embarrassing but fun

[pistachio]

i meant out the back not out book

[jane carter]

hi yes, that would be a good idea, i cant bear to see the stuff getting dumped- its a crazy old world.Mind you some supermarkets are seeing sense, i think, our local asda has started selling stuff off on a sunday afternoon as of last week for 10, 20 and 30pence,great stuff like organic honey, cereals, pesto and so on. I know not good for chicks, but great for us lot, i complimented them on their approach - and they seemed genuinely pleased!

thanks again for the tips,

jane

[mand and family]

Hi jane

 

I give my girls shelled sunflower seeds at the moment, but in summer they get old cucumbers and old grapes and even half eaten cabbages from my veg plot when there's not much left for us after the caterpillars have eaten them.

I'ts funny to watch as they almost fight over them. you wouldn't think i feed them.

[Plum]

well I've probably got a reputation at my local Waitrose as 'that woman who comes in just before closing time and buys manky lettuces'! You can get some amazing bargains.

 

 

My friend with chickens just takes the bits from the bottom of the veg boxes that people leave behind and has them for free. Might try it tomorrow, but OH will be mortified.

[jane carter]

Hi

oh great we can all be mortified together! But for the sake of our girls....we'll do it! What a shame we dont live near each other we could have a mass scrounging trespass!!!1

have a great day all!!

cheers jane x

[Olly]

well of course, I never miss an opportunity to say to the person on the checkout 'ha ha, these aren't for me you know, they're for my chickens'.

 

This isn't because I'm embarrassed about buying reduced food, I just like to get the word 'chicken' into every new conversation!

[KAZAROO]

well of course, I never miss an opportunity to say to the person on the checkout 'ha ha, these aren't for me you know, they're for my chickens'.

 

This isn't because I'm embarrassed about buying reduced food, I just like to get the word 'chicken' into every new conversation!

 

 

hMM This sounds familiar.. I also usually " steal" a carrot for my son as we are going round; out of the bag of carrots I buy; which gets a few looks....