A chicken keeper online said she gives the girls frozen chopped tomato. I froze some chopped tomato but topped it with a little water which may have been a mistake. My husband wondered if tinned tomatoes would be quicker and cheaper and as I was cooking with some the following day I tried that too.
The mistake I made was just tipping them on the chicken’s patio. At first they were too hard. As they started to soften we had to go out to meet a friend.
When we got back the tomato had all gone but there was a sludgy mess on the patio. The girls had probably had a dust bath and shaken on the patio as they often do. I had to wait for it to dry and then sweep it up. It was my fault really because I should have put the cubes in a dish instead of on the patio but I am used to dropping chopped tomato straight on the patio.
The following day
I tried the frozen tinned tomatoes but this time put them in a dish and let them start defrosting first.
This worked much better and they enjoyed drinking the juice too. A while later the dish was completely empty and the patio remained clean.
You must make sure the tinned tomatoes have no additives though and in future I think I would just use fresh chopped tomatoes but not add water and leave them in a dish. I am sure the girls enjoyed them all though. Frozen peas are easier and cleaner but they don’t last long. It’s always worth trying new things as you don’t know until you try which works best.
In other news Storm has come back in lay after a ten day break. She has laid two eggs in the last three days. These girls are always surprising me.
Click here to see the history of my flock.