rosalyndavies Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 My chickens love grated carrot. Does anyone else feed carrot to their hens? Grapes are another favorite. Pak Choi was very enthusiastically eaten up the other day too. What do your hens like? Hilary lettice Charlotte Harriet Hetty Faverolles Phoebe, Ffion & Fibble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Anything! I hung a cabbage in their run the other week. We went to clean out at the weekend and the outer leaves were all intact as if the girls hadn't touched it.... but the rest had gone! They must have eaten it from the inside out. They also demolished a huge broccoli floret in one day this week. Their absolute favourite is banana as a special treat in their sunday porridge. Lettuce, apple, pasta, rice, pepper cores, sunflower hearts (very naughty, OH gets told off for giving them those), chopped asparagus, tomato, tuna...... They also (weirdly) love eating ice and will run round the garden fighting over the shards, even if there's plenty of fresh, cold water to drink. Mad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splodge88 Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Our hens aren't very fussy - they eat anything...apart from grated carrot. They just leave it. We give them a plate of leftovers and it all disappears apart from the carrot. hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chillicat Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Hi Mine absolutely do not like carrots I've tried them EVERY way I can think of......grated raw, cooked chopped, mashed. They will not eat carrots! They do like sweetcorn, baby sweetcorn, porridge, broccoli, cauliflower leaves, greens, spinach, curly kale, courgettes, mashed potato, strawberries, grapes, cooked potato peelings, SPAGHETTI , any other shaped pasta, RICE .........and rain droplets from the run bars! Plus drinking out of the fish pond. And if they attempt to eat the new leaves from my acers this year, they will be in trouble! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherryblossom Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Mine seem really uninspired by anything I have given them, other than mixed grain, which they eat all of EXCEPT the corn!! Are my chickens the only ones who don't like corn? They have eaten a little bit of bacon, but that is it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barkisland Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 So far I have given them apples, broccoli, corn, butternut squash (and the seeds), cooked cous cous, and cooked rice. I gave them some brussels sprouts around Christmas, they only ate half of those, but everything else they have scoffed very quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancing cloud Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Mine won't touch carrot and would sell their souls for grapes They get cabbage and apple in their string bags and there's usually not a lot left at the end of the day. Lettuces are also well received when I grow them in summer and spaghetti goes down a treat, as does leftover cat food (you'd swear I never feed them when you watch them scrounge eveything shamelessly ) . Got some live mealworms in a birdfood taster box from wigglywigglers and they adored those . I add dried ones to their porridge, but I'm a bit of wimp when it comes to feeding them live things . Still, it was either the hens or the blackbirds and not much fun for the mealworms either way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Mine eat cabbage,carrot,rice and swede (not the skin- they leave that). Tried some lettuce but not interested, also not a fan of noodles... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoebe Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 mine eat carrot peelings, but (sensibly) don't like cabbage. They like cooked rice, cucumber and pasta and will peck my fingers off for grapes and sultanas. we tried currants but that did n't work as they were too small and the hens kept losing them and getting cross. They were n't too keen on the chopped celery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooks Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 mine will eat anything (except brocolli at the moment) , they will love you forever for grapes, sweetcorn and mealworms though.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kez Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 mine aren't too fussed about carrots and apples, they love cabbage leaves and will chase you round the garden for grapes and raisins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debsea Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Mine didn't show much interest in grapes especially as I had put worming powder on them. I sceptically tried marmite and worm powder sandwiches and they practically pecked my fingers off for it! Dont give them too much but they love it and its a great way of diguising that powder! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Must be mad Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Mine all hate carrots, eat anything that is mixed with them but leave all the carrots behind. They chase you around the garden if they think you have grapes, and I have recently started to give them porridge, which they also love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smanners Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Mine eat most things including carrots. Favourites are grapes, dried meal worms, apple and sweetcorn . I bought a sprout stalk once which stayed untouched for days and ended up in the compost and they also don't like pears. The latest disinterest has been millet sprays tied up in the run as a treat/entertainment. That went down like like a lead balloon The wild birds will no doubt feel the benefit .............but in my mums garden as we have eight cats so best not to encourage them in mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenstuds Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Pleased to say that my ex-batts are now eating treats. First few weeks they wouldn't eat anything but mash and ignored the brocolli I hung up for them and the grapes I offered. Following advice on here I've given them grated carrot, chopped up cabbage and mushrooms and sweetcorn in with their mash and they are now enjoying them all, plus grapes which they eat from my hand if I chop them into quarters. Really nice to see them enjoying their treats at last. Jenny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C&T Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 Mine now like most things, and love a cabbage hung from the top of the run. Unfortunately, I have learnt that I am best to give them a cabbage just before they are due for a full clean out. It seems that the cabbage has the same effect with the chickens, as the sprouots do with my father.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherryblossom Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 I grated some carrot and cut up slithers of cucumber for mine the other day, which I put down for them, they wern't really interested, but the dog must be upset with me giving the chickens treats, coz she came over and scoffed the lot (she is not into food either). I have now tried them on tinned corn, which they love. Hubbie also went fishing today and caught a squid, so they got all the insides. They were chasing each other around the garden with the bits, it was so funny. Just wondering if we will end up with fishy eggs now? It is amazing how big a chunks they can eat if they want to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piptiddlepip Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Ours will eat anything except peas, which disgust them and corn from a tin. They'll happily scoff corn on the cob, cabbage, greens, chopped courgettes, grapes, and they go absolutely crazy for rice and broccoli (Sainsburys do a packet of Basics florets for 79p, so I often pick some up for them while shopping). They eat carrots and potato peelings if we cook them and whizz them up with the blender and mix it with their mash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
