This morning I decided to give the girls some corn cobs as a treat that would keep them occupied. I took three half corn cobs and cut them in half again so that I had six small bits and put them on the chicken patio where they immediately got the girl’s attention.
I went back half an hour later and they had all been rolled into the run and were absolutely caked with dirt and abandoned. I really should have known better! I gathered them up and rinsed them under the tap then put them into two of the square bird suet containers. I got this idea from Terry of “Hen Cam” and I don’t know why I didn’t just do this in the first place. From now on I will always do this.
It soon got the girl’s interest and it wasn’t long before they got the hang of it.
Amber and Honey were the first to check it out
Barley takes a look
Toffee photo bombs
I kept this photo because I rarely get a close up of Toffee as she is the most shy girl of all but for some reason she just ran towards the camera. The next two shots were too close.
It soon got their interest
They are all interested except Toffee
Toffee never takes part in treats unless they are scattered on the ground. Again because she is shy she won’t get involved in treats if they are in any kind of container. If I have mash or fish in dishes I will drop some on the ground in front of Toffee so that she gets a share.
Toffee is very much a loner and doesn’t get involved in a lot of the flock activities and yet she isn’t bottom girl. She will peck at Emerald to show Emerald that she is below her and Emerald in turn will peck at Peaches and Barley to let them know they are below her.
Later when I returned I turned round the containers so that the girls could get to the other side of the corn cobs. By the end of the day the cobs were pecked bare. I think they had fun with this.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
What a great idea. Certainly one I will try .
It’s great to see that toffee is an individual and not one of the flock . It doesn’t do for us all to be the same. 🙂
Toffee is definitely an individual and it does make her interesting.
P.S. .. Why did you wash them under the tap after all the dirt they peck ? You do make me smile !
Reminds me of the time I dropped the meal worms on the kitchen floor and threw them in the bin .
Having been on the floor is different. These were so thickly caked that you couldn’t see the corn and they had abandoned them as they just couldn’t get to the corn. They had rolled in the dry soil so it stuck. At the end of the day I threw them on to the wet more compacted part of the run where the soil won’t stick and they can pick at them for a bit longer.
It is a good idea, and I have seen it on hencam. Mine love corn – in barbecue season, when my grandchildren leave the majority of the corn on the cob, the girls always love to fall heir to it! Your flock are certainly enjoying it, no doubt more than dried maize, which mine always seem to leave till last, when given mixed corn. Where did you source the suet containers?
I have had them so long now that I’m not really sure but it would have either been the bird feed section in the garden centre or the “Pets at home” store where I get my chicken supplies. I use one on my wild bird feeder too with square suet blocks in. The blue tits and long tail tits love it.
Super Chickens…..and all so tidy !!
Thank you.