If you’re a backyard chicken owner, you know that providing your feathered friends with the best nutrition and care is essential to their health and happiness. One important aspect of caring for chickens is providing them with treats. Treats can be used to supplement their diet, keep them entertained and mentally stimulated, and even as a training tool.
In this article, we’ll take a look at why you should feed your chicken treats, the best chicken treats, and fun ways to give them. So, whether you’re a seasoned chicken keeper or just starting out, you’ll have all the information you need to keep your chickens healthy and happy.
Why Chickens Should Get Treats
Though you may be tempted to stick to chicken feed alone, that isn’t always what’s best for your chickens. Chickens may need treats to supplement their diet and provide them with additional nutrients or to keep them entertained and mentally stimulated.
In addition, treats can be used as a training tool to encourage chickens to come when called or to perform certain behaviors. You can also use treats to bond with chickens and make them more docile to human interaction.
Ultimately, treats can greatly benefit your chickens both physically and emotionally as long as you don’t overdo it.
How Much Treats to Give Chickens?
Around 10% of your hens’ diet can consist of chicken treats. More than that, and their nutrient levels might become imbalanced.
Of course, if you purchase treats such as forage cakes or mixtures of whole veggies and grains, or anything that contributes to your chickens’ health, you can adjust the quantities as needed.
Feed your chickens enough treats to keep them active and busy, while also providing them with the extra nutrients that they need.
Fun Ways to Give Your Chickens Treats
There are several ways to give chickens treats. Some of the most common ways include:
Scattering them on the ground
Simply throwing treats on the ground is a great way to keep your chickens entertained as they love to forage for food. This can help them engage in natural behaviors which can reduce stress and keep them happy.
Adding treats to their food
You can also add the treats directly to the food. While this isn’t as “fun” for your chickens, it does guarantee that they’ll get the extra nutrients provided by their treats. However, you should make sure you don’t put too many treats in their food, as this can result in illness.
Offering Treat Balls or hanging up some Treat Dispensers
For more fun alternatives, consider treat balls and rollers, or dispensers. You can fill these chicken toys with treats and offer them to your flock to strategically get their treats out. This keeps your chickens entertained and helps stimulate them mentally. Chickens need enrichment just as much as any other pet!
Hand Feeding
Hand-feeding is a great way to form bonds with your chickens. They’ll soon learn that you aren’t a threat and will learn to walk up to you without hesitation.
Good Treats to give your Chickens
There are a lot of options out there if you’re trying to find treats for your chickens. Some of the best treats for chickens include:
- Kitchen scraps (my chickens love pasta!)
- Mealworms
- Cracked corn
- Sunflower seeds
- Grits
Chickens can benefit from receiving treats as they can supplement their diet and provide them with additional nutrients. They can also keep your chickens entertained and mentally stimulated while serving as a training and bonding tool.
Add treats to your chickens’ diet, but don’t add too many treats. Treats should be a small part of your chickens’ diet. Moderation in giving your chickens treats will ensure their diet is balanced, while keeping them healthy and happy too!