Do you have chickens?  Yes?  Welcome to the Backyard Chicken Club!  If your chickens are like my chickens, then they most definitely love treats.

Disclaimer:  Treats are not meant to be their total food supply.  Make sure they have enough feed and give the treats in small amounts.

Here’s what we give to our 10 girls:

1) Apples – poke a hole thru the apple (I cut mine in half) and then string them together and hang on a pole.  It gives them something to do (boredom buster) and gives them a sweet treat.

 

2) Cabbage – I do the same thing as the apples.  Cut in half and pull string thru and hang on a pole.  I hang each half separately.  Another boredom buster!  Keep your girls busy and there will be less trouble (pecking each other).

3) Cucumbers – I cut the cucumbers in half long ways and just lay them on the ground.

4) Cantaloupe – I cut up the cantaloupe (I save some of the fruit for me) and throw the rest (seeds and rind) to the girls.

 

5) Corn ice cups – in the summer I make ice cups to help them cool down. I take a can of corn and scoop some into each of the cups in a cupcake pan, add water and freeze it.  I use silicone cups – makes it a lot easier to get the ice cups out.   On a hot summer day, the girls love these!

Also, in the summer, I will make ice cups with pieces of watermelon, tomatoes, cantaloupe, etc. Chickens can get over-heated during the hot summer and the ice cups are a nice cooling treat.

6) Pumpkins  - Cut a pumpkin into several pieces – leave the seeds and guts and give it all to the girls.  My hubby just takes an ax and chops it into a few pieces.

7) Watermelon – Another treat for a hot summer day.  Cut up a watermelon – they will eat it all!

8) Sprouts – I make sprouts from lentils – another treat that the girls go crazy for!  It takes 6 days for the sprouts to get to a good size.  Here are the instructions:

Day 1 – add ½ cup of lentils to a quart size mason jar and fill with water.  Put in a dark place over night.

Day 2 – take jar from dark place – drain out the water and then rinse the lentils twice (it is very helpful to have a strainer type lid).  Rinse them twice a day.  I usually rinse in the morning and in the evening.

Day 3 – Rinse the lentils twice again (morning & evening).  You will notice that they are starting to sprout.

Day 4 – Rinse the lentils twice again (morning & evening).  You will notice that they are expanding in the jar.

Day 5 – rinse twice again (morning & evening) – almost ready!

Day 6 – Ready!

9) Tomatoes – chickens are drawn to the color red.  I buy the small tomatoes (cherry tomato size) and just throw them and watch the chickens run for them.

10) Raspberries – the same as tomatoes – they love the color red.  I just throw them and watch then chase each other to get to them first.

11) Banana peels – peel the banana (and eat it yourself) and then give the peels to the girls.  Nothing goes to waste!

12) Corn on the cob – another favorite.  Peel the husk off and give it to them.  They will peck every single piece of corn off the cob.

13) Strawberries – when I buy strawberries for myself, I cut off the tops and give them to the girls.  It’s another favorite!

There are lots of treats that the chickens can have.  I pulled together this list from various websites:

(This list is not all inclusive – check out some chicken websites for more options.)

Enjoy your girls!