Simple Joys

Rosetta, or Red Girl - My Rhode Island Red

Today I brought in my two old pans that hold special treats for my chickens, and filled them with scraps and leftovers from the fridge. There was a pint of ham and vegetable soup with lots of garden veggies. And two spoonfuls of chili left over from last week. I set out the pans and hollered for the girls. And there they ran, pecking and fussing over who gets that piece of carrot and who gets this chunk of ham. 

 Henny Penny - My Golden Dutch Bantam

I started out feeding my girls the typical pellet and scratch combo that is in all the books. Until one day I had some leftover buttermilk which had gotten a little too thick and some cornmeal which had fallen prey to pantry moths. So I mixed them together and threw them out to the chickens. Because milk and cornmeal, it's practically bread right? A few times I have run across an egg with a crack or hole, and into the pans it goes. It might seem a little macabre, but they took in the nourishment. And after all, they pick through the compost heap anyway, and wouldn't they have just eaten it there? 

 Dot - My Barred Rock Hen

I remembered all of the older folks who have taught me about chickens. They would put out meat scraps, bread and milk, oatmeal, bacon grease and whatever else was left over rubbish from the kitchen for the day. And it dawned on me that chickens are scavengers by nature. Omnivorous, eating bugs, grasses, grains, even small mice and birds that the cat would leave in the grass. Why not give them fresh good trimmings from the roast? Why not give them a bowl of fresh soup full of veggies? 

 Belina - My Gold Laced Wyandotte Hen

Since I started this habit, my egg production has almost doubled. Hens that haven't laid in a couple of months because of the cold are laying almost daily. And the yolks are even more bright and lovely. 

Raven - My Australorp Hen

I love my chickens. I understand now all those 'crazy chicken ladies' with their kitchens filled with roosters and hens. If the day has been hard on me, I step outside and throw out some scratch, or some treats, and here they come. Picking out their favorite bits then spreading out to take a bit of clover, a leaf of grass, or chasing a moth that their scratchings unearthed. They don't destroy the land, they take only what they need. And they don't over indulge. They are good models for us in a way. They bring me a simple joy.