What is the best "treat" for a chicken... I know that scratch makes them fat, lazy layers so I really don't want to give them that. Is there a vegetable that they like or something really healthy. Thanks!!!

Angela, My birds love collard greens. After they go to roost, I take the stalks of greens and lace it into the chicken wire fence so that it doesn't lay on the ground. In the morning they wake up and pull off what they want and it never touchs the ground. My grocer gives me the large leaves that he pulls off of the cabbages. I only give this to them when they are out of the pen and on cleaner ground because it doesn't have stalks. I know they need greens but I dont know why.

Much of it is what they become accustomed to. Ours trample each other for apple peelings and cores, and this morning we had the skin off half a baked butternut squash for them. That was a big hit! They also like sprouted barley. Let us know what they prefer as you experiment with them.

My gang loves kale and shredded coconut! :-)
Lisa

Mine eat in addition to their layer pellets cracked corn, vegis, pasta, chease, rasins, a little bit of meat, egg shells, bread, and they get all sorts of grass and bugs from roming about the property. I give them bread and cracked corn everyday.

YoYo

Thanks for all your help!!!
So far I've found that they like shredded cabbage and broccoli stalks. I haven't had a chance to try anything else so far, but I'll let you know what their fav. thing is in the end!

We feed our chickens all of our leftovers except for garlicy and oniony foods, and not chicken either. (Seems too weird.)
They LOVE peas, broccoli and spaghetti noodles the most.
They'll eat tomatoes, carrots and citrus fruit only because it's there, but it's not something they seem to particularly like.

My chickens LOVE tomatoes, most fruit, especially melon and apple, old cake, pasta, bread, green salad. They are free range, and I feed them organic layers pellets. I boiled potato peelings for them, but they turned their beaks up at that (I don't blame them!). I give them leftovers as a lunchtime treat, and it has helped them become really tame, as I stand among them while they eat their lunch. A few will now eat from my hands.

all mine are different! Some like potatos(cooked), some like tomatoes and some even like cuttle fish!

If you feed potatos they need to be cooked. Someone said or I read some where that raw potato skins are bad for them. THey can have the inside of a potato raw and once i gave them a raw potato and the pecked a hole through the skin and ate the inside.

Mine are fools for the ends off homemade breads(not a treat I'd reccomend for everyday),any kind of fruit or veggie peel except banana,greens, cabbage and lettuce waste, bits of cheese,especilly cottage. To get a commotion started, all I have to do is approach the fence with my hands hidden.

my chickens LOVE carrot peels! They will even jump in the air for them! It's so funny!

Thanks!!!!

WOW, I have LOTS of options!!! So far, their favorites have been lettuce, carrot peels... what exactly is cuttle fish? I've heard a lot of people mention that when the are talking about chickens... must be good!

Cuttle bone is used for caged birds, both for calcium for those that lay eggs, and as a place to "file" and wear down the beaks of parrot types, obtained from pet stores. Actually, it is the bone of the Cuttlefish, and bits are often found when walking along the beaches of some parts of the world! I don't think it would be very practical for feeding a flock of chickens. CJR

Thanks for all your help! I printed out this discussion and am just going down the list until everything on it has been tried. They aren't too picky!
~ Angela