Keeping hens and ducks chat.

Better_Days

We have our evening meal on our laps in the living room which has french windows out into the garden.

Every evening we have an audience of 4 hens tapping at the windows reminding us they are there. They know that I usually give them a few scraps left over from our meal. There is little they wont try although I haven't risked curry! It's just like having a flock of feathered Labradors watching every mouthful.

We too have 'window art' on the french windows at various heights - hen height, cat height and lurcher height. When the sun shines through the windows at the front of the house there is an embarrassing line of kitty nose prints. Barley loves to sit on the windowsills and presses his nose against the window to get a better view.

The chucks will come in the house if we leave the doors open. Hens seem to be like cats, incurably nosey.

edwink

Aww!!! Nose art!! what a lovely expression.

My girls love curry I have to say. We do make it from scratch so there is hardly any salt in it all expect for celery salt which we use. I know it is dangerous to give hens salt. They absolutely love rice especially the wild rice so they always have some of that if we have curry and rice.

They also love spaghetti. You must try and give them that and watch them run off with the strand of it. It is hilarious to watch. They run off with it dangling beneath their bodies trying to scoff it at the same time. If you dangle some above them they will jump up to snatch it off you. Ducks love spaghetti too!!

Been making plum jam today from our plums in the garden and I can't believe that my hens don't like plums. Some drop off the tree and they never touch them, not even a small peck of it. It's weird because they love wild cherry plums when we go out and collect those. Maybe it is because wild cherry plums are sweeter.

Hope everyone's hens are ok and cockerels too!! Been raining here this afternoon but not much thankfully.

Keep up the good work everyone!!

Edwink x

Dizzy_Ditzy

My girls love grapes, blackberries, gooseberries, melon, raspberries and GARLIC :rotfl: they love anything green which is useful given they live on an allotment :cool:

They don't like banana or apples. We haven't tried them on spaghetti yet but if they go even half as mad for that as they do worms and slugs then we are in for a few :rotfl:s it's like benny hill when they all get going :rotfl:

ampersand

& is not greedy re: h-g non-stop year-round slug supply.

Any girls want an eat-your-weight working holiday? :-).
Start under the compost carpet. Yeughhh this afternoon.
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Please know that Thanks are given, replaced, but don't always stick.

suki1964

My girls are very shy about trying something new to eat. They seem to prefer either the corn or live bait

However they love peas straight from the pod. Don't like beans. Not fussed at all on crumbs, rice or anything dry. Will eat blueberries but not raspberries or strawberries. Do love a bit of mango though

And partial to raiding the dog kibble lol

suki1964

My girls are very shy about trying something new to eat. They seem to prefer either the corn or live bait

However they love peas straight from the pod. Don't like beans. Not fussed at all on crumbs, rice or anything dry. Will eat blueberries but not raspberries or strawberries. Do love a bit of mango though

And partial to raiding the dog kibble lol

edwink

Try them on cooked rice they will love it.


Mine love strawberries, blackberries and raspberries. The don't like peaches, plums or bananas. Short grass cutting they love a pile of those to scratch about in. They absolutely love dandelions. Great news cos there are loads of them where we live. Basically our girls with eat almost anything. Bless them!!


Edwink x

edwink

Oh deary deary me!! My Speckled hen has gone broody on me again!! She comes out in the morning to feed, thankfully but that's it for the day. She won't come out and when I try to move her she screams at me and flaps about all over the place. Bless her little cotton socks!! I have told her nicely that this has to stop but she just looks at me as if to say "are you kidding". No I am not!!:rotfl:

vjm63

Hello people - I have been reading this thread off and on, and I'd love to join in and play!

First time chicken owner here - four chucks, who consider me an honorary cockerel, I think. We get shouted at whenever we go out the back door - but they are in a large pen so do not get mobbed. I love going out and talking to them, and trying them with different foodstuffs. Wild strawberries good, raspberries meh, earwigs good, large slugs ignored. Dried mealworms = yum !

One of my favourite incidents so far was when I was sitting on a step in their pen, and one actually flew up and landed on my head! Talking to her, and inside hoping she did not poop or anything! Within a couple of minutes the others flew onto the top of coop - obviously a game of I'm higher than you.

Better_Days

Welcome vjm63

Glad you decided to join us and let us know your hen tales. Hens aren't the most graceful of flyers but with a few flaps and a following wind it is surprising how high they can get.

What sort of hens do you have?

Mr BD is currently digging in the garden to ready the area for some paving slabs. There was much outraged clucking earlier as they were confined to their run and they could see all the tasty worms being dug up but couldn't get to them :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: The trouble is when they are out they 'help' and every time you turn round there is a hen. They are so anxious to get at the worms they stand guard on the spade which inhibits digging somewhat