It's apple season! Local apples are plentiful at farmer's markets, in the grocery store and if you're lucky, on the trees on your property. We feed our horses the apples from our trees when we can and store-bought apples other times of the year, and when we have extras, I like to treat the chickens with fun apple treats. Chickens love apples, and the skins and flesh are nutritious treats. One warning: Apple seeds contain cyanide, so be sure to core or otherwise remove any seeds before feeding apples to your flock.) Here are some fun ideas for Apple Treats for your Chickens:
Stuffed Apples - For this fun treat I use three or four apples, 1/2 Cup of natural unsalted peanut butter, 1/2 Cup of unsalted almonds and 1/2 Cup of dried cranberries. You can substitute raisins, sunflower seeds or another nut if you wish.
Wash and core the apples, leaving the bottom intact. Grind the almonds in a coffee grinder or food processor and mix with the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Stuff each apple.
Your chickens will love pecking at the peanut butter and then eating the apple, which ends up being rolled around the run as they fight to get all the peanut butter out. Be sure to provide them plenty of fresh water anytime you feed them something sticky like peanut butter.
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Will these treats work equally well with other fowl like pheasants?
I think these are great ideas! Especially for those small homesteaders who have small flocks. While I understand that it takes time to do these things, and that may frustrate some people, I also believe that doing these types of things keeps your chickens happy, healthy, and busy! What fun it would be to take a little break from chores and just kick back and watch our chickens enjoying a special, and well deserved, treat!
You must be bored or have a lot of time on your hands to stuff or string chicken treats. I have around 75 birds so no way will I ever do this. Chop up and mix in a pan maybe but string and stuff hahaha.
Lisa, how do you become one of your chickens. Man, I just might core an apple and stuff it with peanut butter and stuff for me. Have a great chicken apple stuffing day.