Posts Tagged treats

My brother and his partner are also fans of all things feathery. Whilst they do not tend their own flock, Cat’s father is an experienced poultry fanatic and has often thrown tips and advice my way. He recently shared a tit bit that pushed my anxiety levels out of sync.

It’s a challenge for any chicken owner to look down on the birds knowing eyes and resist the urge to satisfy their every need. We all know that birds will eat most of what is put in front of them – not unlike my brother – but how much is too much?

Cat’s father had often thrown down a little extra corn to his birds without concern – until recently when one of the birds passed. As the results returned from the chicken’s autopsy, it was clear the bird had been overweight. Whilst this was not apparent to the eye, the bird was ‘fat on the inside’ – an insult we regularly throw at our elder brother who, I have to admit, is actually quite streamline.

To overfeed was certainly not their intention yet in their innocence, it had happened. One does not imagine corn can kill but an overdose can be deadly. I hit the net to try and assimilate a solution. ‘Moderation’ was thrown around with the highest frequency – a word weighted heavily with ambiguity. Since there is no chicken treadmill on the market, the best solution I was able to source is to make the birds work for their treats.

Hanging vegetables high in the air is a trick we have tried with our birds. This keeps them occupied and out of trouble for hours. The are also treat balls, usually positioned for cats or rodents, which slowly distribute corm or meal worms as they are knocked or pecked. A pecker block is another recent addition to our enclosure – these can be baked at home to cut down on cost and numerous delicious recipes are available online.

Our birds have certainly experienced a cutback on the calories and are hopefully healthier for it. They may think they have had their revenge by devouring my flower bed but I’m sure they would one day thank me if they could.

Want to hear the chicken’s point of view? Visit my Chicken Talk Blog.

You can also follow my chickens on Twitter.