Chickens Love Water

Yes They Do!
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I often times get asked a lot of great questions about how to "treat" your girls during the warm summer or just in general. A lot of people get confused about what type of treats you should or shouldn't be giving chickens and thankfully I have a long list of great ideas about the do's and don'ts of passing out num-nums.

Do's

• Yogurt! Chickens love yogurt. Give it to them in a hard bowl, something that can be thrown away or washed in the dishwasher. You can also freeze it in little ice cubes and give it to them this way. They'll peck away at it and have a great icy treat. 
• Frozen strawberries or fruit in general. My girls really love these. They're great to drop in a bowl of water on the really hot days to help chill the water and then eventually break down and become a little mushier so that the girls can eat them up.
• Fresh fruit; banana, watermelon, strawberries, apple, etc. Almost any type of fresh fruit is a big hit. Try to stay away from the super sweet sugar loaded fruits though. Sure your girls will be on a sugar high but it's not exactly something you want their little bodies exposed to repeatedly due to potential health problems.
• Kefir milk. See one of my previous blog posts about this stuff. Healthier than yogurt and has a ton of great applications for you and your girls. Hint... you'll probably hate the taste of the stuff but it's worth a try.
• Fresh water. Plain old water. My girls love to huddle around a bowl of fresh water and drink it until all their heads collectively look like they've been through a dunking contest. Even though they have plenty of the stuff in their coop there's just something about it that they go nuts for. I just learned yesterday that they've now associated one of my outside bowls, typically used by our dog Tia, as being a water bowl and after picking it up they followed me all around the yard until it was filled. Funny stuff.
• Iced water. Just about the most basic thing you can do on those hot days. Don't go crazy on the ice. You're just trying to chill the water. Stay simple.

Dont's

• Citrus. Try to stay away from really acidic citrus type fruits if possible. Your girls will still eat it like there's no tomorrow but all that citrus can cause potential health problems. Best to avoid if you can.
• Avocados. This is a big big poultry no-no! Exposure to avocado flesh and rind can cause serious digestion related issues and other health related problems likely resulting in death. This is one of those universal things I've read about time and time again in the general world of birds. Why I'm sure there are those out there who've never had a problem there is an overwhelming number of people who have. Best to avoid at all costs so your girls don't become a statistic.

Summer is here even if our weather changes from week to week. So give your girls a treat!