I brought home crickets back in late December and they could have cared less. But today, crickets don't stand a chance around those hungry, hungry beaks. And it's a hoot to take a bag of crickets and dump them into their run. They are used to treats being put into their treat bowl. But they quickly catch on that those hopping things are YUMMO!
A while back I had tossed some beet tops into their run and they just stomped all over them. So I've been chopping or grating their treats to make them more bite sized. But now at almost 15 weeks of age, they are starting to figure out how to use their beaks as a tool. A few weeks back, I put a half a watermelon in their run and they had no trouble pecking it right down to the green outer shell.
Yesterday morning I put a half of apple in their treat bowl and last night, pulled out what was left which was little more than the skin.
This morning they got a grated carrot and some left over rice. Uncooked, rolled oats are a huge favorite these days. Usually, the girls chatter and talk while they eat their treats in the morning. But not when there are rolled oats in the bowl. The only sound is their little tongs lapping up the oats as quickly as they possibly can.
I'm starting to plan my summer garden now that the weather has warmed. It's still a tad to early to plant but I'll definitely be growing more things this year than I did in past years. I stopped growing squash years ago because we couldn't keep up with it's production. But I'm pretty sure I'll have plenty of help from my three food obsessed chickens. Watermelon will definitely be on the master plan as will tomatoes, lots of greens, snap peas and I think I'll give pumpkins a try again.
It's such fun watching them study any new treat you give them. They look at it and discuss it and argue over who's turn it is to taste test the new item. Here's a Buff Orpington, like Ginger, giving this lobster a quizzical look while she tries to figure out where to place the first peck.
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