Day 245

Feeding chickens might not seem glamorous but it has quickly become a coveted chore. Initially, feeding them their regular pullets were boring. Then, we added more scratch grains. The birds quickly became accustomed to the sound of filling the small bucket up and expressed their anticipation with lots of sound. But as we added chickens and needed to supplement and diversify their diet, we found (and still find) interesting ways to feed them.

Knowing they loved their very expensive mealworm treats, we decided to start raising them. My son loves collecting the ready-to-eat mealworm beetles and taking them to the yard. He also likes lifting up the rocks that line the yard’s fence as he and the chickens quickly figured out creepy, crunchy crawlies were likely to be there. 

We love eating fruits and veggies. So do the chickens. Some scraps that we normally would have composted become chicken treats. Even Grandma brings over a container of chicken scraps whenever she visits.

When we planned the garden, we figured some of the grown food would be used for chicken feed. When we added chicken manure and the plants absolutely skyrocketed, we knew that there would be a plentiful amount of food available to feed our flock.

We’ve even had neighbors and friends drop off hornworms they've found in their garden and apples that have fallen from their trees to help feed our birds.

Needless to say, our chickens are very spoiled. And they’re also not that picky. They'll eat pretty much everything but zucchini and watermelon seem to be their treat of choice.

The kids love giving them treats. If the chickens hear or see them coming, especially when holding some type of container, they know feeding time is close. Often times, the kids throw the food in from outside the yard. But when the kids go in, chickens will follow them incessantly around the  yard. At first, the kids were a little overwhelmed and even a bit scared of the chicken parade. Once they realized the chickens just wanted treats, they were much more comfortable. Now, they fight over who gets to hold the treat container. Sometimes, I wonder who enjoys treat time more.