Chicken Treats for Winter Days

Winter days must be as long and boring for backyard chickens as they’d be for us if we were cooped up inside all day. With no chance for fresh greens I imagine they would like some fresh food for a change. So….I planted some Chicken Salad Seed Mix for them again this year along with a few other treats.

They have their regular layer pellets with a daily meal worm treat and a few black oil sunflowers seeds (in the shell) but some fresh leaves appeal to me so why not them?

Lentils can be sprouted in just about any container.  Just rinse them daily to keep the water fresh and in a few days you’ll have a nice chicken snack.

It’s also important to keep fresh water available at all times and to be sure it’s not frozen on some of the really cold mornings, even here in mild California!

I have to check their food daily even though the feeder holds a lot of pellets because the damp air and rain seep in sometimes and the pellets get stuck and won’t drop down on their own. I can tell that’s happened when the girls are frantically running back and forth by the coop door trying to get our attention.  They may have really small brains but they’re pretty bright when it comes to food!

With five chickens we’re only getting one or two eggs every day to every other day right now but even that is a treat!

Since our coop is situated outside our kitchen window it’s fun to watch them take their (rather moist) dust baths and forage around to find the seeds and treats  I scatter in the morning…a nice way to brighten up a dreary winter day!