I'm cleaning out the cupboards in preparation for our move and purging all of our grocery items that didn't fly so well with our family. You know, the stuff that gets shoved to the back and lurks in the darkness until either you clean your cupboards or a desperate midnight snacker decides to roll the dice. Just for grins, we tried feeding some of what we were going to compost to the chickens. Not surprisingly, they liked everything, including Trader Joe's High-Fiber O's (softened with water),dry quick grits & nori seaweed sheets.
This fits in nicely with my personal theory that chickens are practically pigs with feathers. There isn't much they won't eat, so long as you render it small enough or soft enough for them to swallow. Some of my hennies' favorite snacks-
*Leftover movie-theater popcorn
*Carrot tops
*Bread of any sort
*Pumpkin, sunflower and flax seeds
*Cooked rice & pasta
*Carrot peelings
*Fish skin (especially salmon - they go NUTS for this!)
*Grapes and berries, right off of the plants :(
Between the husband, the chicks and the bunnies, who needs a garbage disposal?
Strawberry, chowing down on my carrot tops
My chickens used to love rhubarb tops, they are toxic to humans, but didn't seem to hurt the chookies. They were also partial- meaning they would fight each other for- prawn peelings. I found sprinkling my growing salad leaves with white pepper or chili powder every couple of days would deter the chickens, but you had to be diligent. The chickens would keep checking!
ReplyDeleteYou really make me want my own chickens, they are funny little creatures
ReplyDeleteI have a co-worker friend who is currently raising chickens. She talks all the time about the foods her chickens enjoy. I am going to pass your blog post along to her.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your move. There is an old European saying that "Tis better that your house burn down twice, than to move it once" Last time I moved, that was exactly how I was feeling. :-)
man I wish I had chickens to feed my dark dank leftovers from moving!
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