siamang2 Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Hello egluions! My husband has finally succumbed and bought me an Eglu for Christmas. I have now got three lovely little chuckies called Spotty Dotty, Charlie & Bernie and other than layers pellets don't really know what to feed them. Can anybody advise me on any good tit bits? Here's to a happy and long lived friendship with the forum!! Siamang2 x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Welcome aboard. They love sweetcorn, tomatoes, raisins, grapes, green veg, cooked potato ( it must be cooked) cooked pasta and rice. Don't overdo it with the treats though, as they crowd out the nutritious pellets, which long term will interfere with their laying. Just a handful to lure them into the run after free ranging is plenty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickvic Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Hello and welcome to the forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 some chickens prefer different things. When they are not laying they are not usually particularly interested in much food - once they start eating they will eat for England! Like Eglutine we give a small amount of treats late afternoon, there are loads you can try - Grapes Raisins Cherry tomatoes Cucumber Sweetcorn/corn on the cobs hung up in run broccoli hung up in run left over cooked mashed potato left over cooked rice spinach cabbage mixed poultry corn (available in sacks.....my girls love it) makes the egg yolks yellow porridge (made with warm water & porridge oats) - nice in the winter/cold day live/natural yoghurt (nice on a cool summers day) Avoid avacado (poisonous to chickens) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Watch Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Hello and congratulations on the new chooks. My lot eat most things. Sometimes they prefer them raw, sometimes cooked. With 3 kids I have tons of veg and rice leftovers from their plates as well as carrot peelings, melon pips, brocolli stalks etc. No more do I have to throw away wilted lettuce from the fridge or manky looking tomatoes, the chooks eat it all. It is really, really hard not to go overboard with too much as quite rightly said above they not eat enough pellets and egg laying will suffer. Also worth knowing that my chooks eat things now they are 2 years old, that they would not touch when they first arrived. Not a full list but plenty of ideas on this link: viewtopic.php?f=42&t=12659&view=unread#unread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mutrix Farmers Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 hi siamang2. Nothing extra to add to the advice already given. Just wanted to say hello and wish you every happiness with your flock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoebe Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Welcome ! I have only been an owner for a month. I have been giving them occasional grapes, pasta, rice , carrot peelings and cucumber. They had celery once, but were n't too keen. I think I am going to stop giving them grapes as it results in pecked fingers (mine) and World War three between the chickens. Ivy is really greedy about them and snatches them from the others' beaks and I cannot tell Mary and Josefa apart and I always feel bad that I can't share them out fairly !! Its good fun, despite no eggs yet, and I hope you enjoy chicken keeping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
furryelephant Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 My girls love left over spaghetti.. they run round the garden with it hanging from their beaks Hush... don't tell them otherwise, but I think they think it's worms!!! On the subject, they alse love the dried mealworms that you can buy as wildbird food.. and raisins, and sweetcorn, and porridge etc etc!! But they turn their beaks up at cherry tomatoes.. fussy little madams Just keep offering them the odd tit bit and see how they go. It usually takes them a while to start investigating stuff though so don't be too disheartened if they ignore everything you offer them at first.. Enjoy your hens! Paula Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mostin Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Hi there, welcome to the forum. I can't much to what's been said above. Just to say again that they are quite like kids as in they turn there nose up at new things at first , it doesn't last long though. They do have very different tstes though. Most of my girls would kill for a raisin but Lilly acts as if you are trying to poisen her if you offer her one. They are so funny. My girls got Live Mealworms from wiggly wrigglers for their xmas present. This has been their most favourite treat EVER so far . Glad you're enjoying your girls so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
