Chickens will eat almost anything. With the operative word being "almost". There are a few things that my chickens technically should love, but collectively turn their beaks up at.
So every once in a while I'll be bringing you episodes of "Will They Eat it".
Please enjoy.
Will They Eat It
The first instalment of the new series, Will They Eat it? What will the chickens eat?
Stay tuned for more episodes of "Will They Eat it?" in the future.
Ron
Where did you get the bowl? I have a set of 4 and managed to chip one in the dishwasher. Can't for the life of me remember exactly where I purchased them. I would have thought either Home Hardware or Dollerama but couldn't find any there last week. Could be that they were a one off. Perhaps you have another source?
Karen
Hey Ron! Dollarama, but I got them years ago! - karen.
Ron
Damn, must be where I got mine years ago as well. I was hoping that you may have found another source. I use them as soup bowls, the handle doesn't get hot when soup is heated up in the microwave.
Freddie
If it has a brand name on the back, you might try looking for them on ebay. . Another spot would be you local Goodwill store. They always have a lot of misc. china. I have an old Oster Kitchen center and I found the Ice Cream attachment at Goodwill, all parts, still in the box. I already had one, but since they don't make them anymore I grabbed it. You can never have enough Ice Cream..:-)
Jenn
Oh, this will be a fun feature!
Yay Chickens!
jennifer
well of course they love polenta! it's bloody corn! corn in every form is zen when you're a hen!
Brenda j
Raising chickens is a great photo on the front of a magazine I saw yesterday at Blawblaws. I wish I could think of the name of it...but I did think of you Karen. I believe the mag is about hobby farms, suburb type "farms" ???? You probably already get it.
Sorry, Fibro-fog-at-50
Barbara Q
You crack me up!!!
Bridget
Yesterday on NPR (Splendid Table) I heard a lovely piece talking about raising urban backyard chickens and of course thought of you!
I think they should have interviewed YOU!
By the end of the piece, I was definitely considering raising some chickens in my backyard. Now, my dog and family may have a few things to say about this, but what the heck! If I have 3 chickens that are very calm and lay golf ball size eggs then there can't be too many complaints.
Question, the lady being interviewed said that it takes about 10 min in both the morning and evening to check on them and feed/water them. So, 20 min. a day. Weekend is "clean coop" time and that takes about 30 min. Does that sound pretty accurate to you about the amount of care required? What do you do about sick chickens? Does a regular vet see them if they are ill?
Thanks, and I LOVE reading your blog each morning!
Considering the coop,
Bridget
Karen
Hi Bridget - The numbers sound just about right, but there are other things to consider. Like running to get the feed from the feed store, making sure every so often that their water is unfrozen in the winter, and washing their feeders and waterers. Plus there's a little bit of maintaining the coop. Checking for drafts, that sort of thing. If I were talking about a time commitment I'd say it's a bit more than a dog, but less than a child. :) A lot of chicken ailments the owner takes care of themselves. You can buy antibiotics at your local feed store as well as things to get rid of mites and such. Mainly the chicken owner takes care of the health of the chicken, but you can have a vet look at them as well. Also, chickens are fun. A lot of fun. They're incredibly entertaining and addictive. Sometimes I sit outside on a bale of straw and just watch them. I highly recommend getting chickens for those who are willing to take on all the responsibilities of caring for them. ~ karen!
Ann
And you must consider costs before you get started. the coop Karen built, and the one I built end up on the pretty pricey side. But it is a once in a life time expense and i just basically wrote that off in my mind. My 3 hens are now giving me more eggs than it is costing me in supplies, if I ignore the initial start up expenses.
But as Karen said, I love to just watch my 3 hens and 2 roosters. They keep me in stitches observing all their habits. But mine are not quite so ready to try new foods. it takes them awhile but then they tend to go crazy. Watermelon really took them awhile. But now they fight over it.
amy mills
nice, but in alabama we call those grits:)
Barbie
OK! So they WILL! Your chickens have good taste! I LOVE polenta, it's one of my favorite things! Smart chickens if you ask me!
marilyn
LMAO im still laughing...and the fella's a star too!
cred
loved the fella's intro!
Michelle
Too funny! They have good taste! Hmmm, gourmet chickens....Maybe they could end up being judges on Iron Chef!
Karena
Too funny I love your new series!
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
Holly
Pickles!!! Do pickles next!!
Laura Bee
Chicken kisses!
Violet
So not only will they eat it ... apparently they'll also eat each other's faces off after they eat it. I bet people would pay good money to see a a passel of faceless polenta-eating chickens. (I would.)
my honest answer
Aw Karen thanks so much for adding text - I have no speakers and at first I thought you were feeding them scrambled eggs!
Susan
Hey! Whadda doing'!! Where'd it go!
Karen Eggleston
My daughter drills a hole in a cabbage, runs a rope through it and hangs it just above her chickens heads. A meal and exercise at the same time.
gloria
Ha! I guessed right. Watched an episode of Doc Martin yesterday and whatya know, polenta is what the psychotic forest ranger feeds to his 6 foot tall squirrel friend. I figured if it was good enough for Anthony the Squirrel, why not Karen's chickens?
Marti
So... in this video, we learn that the hens are very much like Human Hens, in that they A) seem to want what another hen has and B) seem to greatly enjoy taking a peck at each other.
Fascinating.