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Oct
Oct
Vegetables and fruits not only make great treats for chickens but are also nutritious. While they are not to be a replacement for their daily balanced diet, vegetables and fruits will add some nutrients to your chickens.
So the question here is not if chickens will eat vegetables and fruits, but where the vegetable and fruits will be placed as they feed. An option is just to throw the vegetables on the ground, but that leads to wastage. The chickens might not be able to get a good grasp of some of the juicy vegetables and fruits.
I first started by placing vegetables and fruits for chickens on the ground. The chickens would peck on them for a few minutes, then move on. I wrongly conclude that chickens were not that much interested in fruits and vegetables. When I hung the fruits and vegetables, then chickens would devour them within an hour. One cabbage was not enough. I ended up hanging two or three cabbages each day.
The need for vegetable and fruit feeders.
Vegetable and fruit feeders come with their own advantages. The main goal is to make sure that chickens get the most out of the vegetables and fruits provided for them. The pros of using vegetable and fruit feeders for your chickens include:-
- Keeps the vegetable and fruits clean
- Mimics chickens natural feeding behavior
- Keeps chickens entertained
- Keeps vegetable and fruit treats visible
Vegetable feeders keep the vegetables and fruits clean.
Chickens like scratching and pushing things around. If you place vegetables and fruits on the ground, they will be scratched, moved around, rolled over litter, poop, and mud. When they ate done with them, you will not be able to recognize them. When they are filthy dirty, chickens will not bother eating them. Thus, the vegetable and fruit treat you have worked soo hard to provide for your chickens will not only be dirty, with germs but also be wasted. Vegetable and fruit feeders for chickens come in to assist with this.
Vegetable and fruit holders for chickens keep the fruits and vegetables away from the ground. Chickens will not be able to scratch them when they are hung at a level parallel to their backs. The treats will not be in contact with litter, soil, or chicken poop. This will keep them clean. When they are clean, chickens will finish every little bit of it.
Vegetable feeders mimic chickens’ natural feeding behavior.
Chickens feed by scratching and pecking at things. They will scratch the ground, try to reveal any edible thing. They will peck anything that is above the ground to try to eat it. For vegetative matter, they will peck and pull it, trying to cut it into smaller pieces that they can swallow. The vegetative matter is usually held to the ground or branches by the branches, stems, and roots of the plant, making it easy for chickens to peck and pull.
If fruits and vegetables are placed on the ground for chickens, there will be nothing holding it on the ground. Chickens will have a hard time pecking and cutting into smaller manageable pieces. With every peck, the fruit or vegetable will be moved around the chicken coop or run. The chickens will most likely give up since it will be tiring to try to feed on moving food.
Vegetable and fruit feeders for chickens help hold in place the fruits and vegetables. This enables the chickens to peck and tear off small pieces that they can swallow. They provide the ability for the chickens to tug and pull vegetables and fruit. This is similar to what happens in a natural environment.
Suplklz Hanging Chicken Feeder Chain Veggies Skewer Fruit Vegetable Holder with Chain for Hens Pet Chicken Birds Feeding Tools
Vegetable feeders keep chickens entertained.
Chickens in a coop or run can get bored. And boredom can lead chickens into chicken vices. When chickens are bored they will try to look for something to keep them entertained. This means pecking at anything they can, including other chickens.
Bored chickens will peck at eggs. Wore unto you if the eggs break. Chickens will not only eat broken eggs but will develop the habit of eating eggs. Once they acquire the taste of eggs, it becomes nearly impossible to break the habit. When chickens eat eggs, they mean business. They will leave little or no evidence since they will consume every bit of it – the yolk, egg white, and the shell. This means you will not get a return for your input in form of chicken feed.
Bored chickens will also start pecking at each other. If the pecked skin breaks out and starts bleeding, the other chickens will join it and continue pecking as they enjoy the taste of blood and raw flesh. Your adorable chickens have become cannibals and there is no way of breaking this habit.
Vegetable and fruit feeders for chickens keep chickens busy and entertained. They break the cycle of idleness that can be the devil’s workshop. When their urge to pack is satisfied by juicy vegetables and fruits, your chickens will not see the need to peck on your eggs or at each other.
The act of pecking at the hung fruit or vegetable also assists in relieving stress in chickens. This keeps them happy, hence improving their productivity.
Vegetable feeders keep the fruit and vegetables visible.
When it comes to chickens and food, the old adage, out of sight out of mind comes into play. If you want to keep your chickens eating, feed and treats need to be visible. Vegetable and fruit holders for chickens keep fruit and vegetables visible.
If the vegetables and fruits are placed on the ground, the chickens will kick them around. In no time, they will be hidden in the litter. The chickens will move on to the next visible and colorful thing. This makes vegetable and fruit feeders for chickens great accessories for making fresh treats available to chickens. Chickens will be able to get the most out of the fruit and vegetables.
How vegetable and fruit feeders work
Vegetable and fruit feeders for chickens work by holding the treat in place, making it accessible to the chickens. The vegetable and fruit holders in the market use two mechanisms. These are hanging and fastened feeders.
Hanging fruit and vegetable feeders for chickens.
Hanging fruit and vegetable feeders work by suspending the treat in the air. They come in either a net form or skewer form.
Hanging net vegetable and fruit holders for chickens are made of durable nylon with an opening that a big enough for chickens to peck through without damaging the net. They are ideal for big vegetables and fruits such as watermelon, cabbages, corn, and apples. The treats are put into the net and then the net is hung at a suitable height for the chickens.
Skewer vegetable and fruit holders for chickens come in form of a skewer, with a chain on one end. The chain is used to hang the skewer in the chicken coop or chicken run. Fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, cabbages, apples can be skewered using these feeders and hung for the chickens to easily access.
Fastned fruit and vegetable feeders for chickens.
Fastned fruit and vegetable feeders work by holding the fruit or vegetables in place. They are other fastened on the walls of the coop or the mesh of the run. They come in the form of a basket with large spaces for chickens to access the treat or a plastic mesh that is tied to the fence of the run, with the fence holding the treat on one end and the mesh holding the treat on the other end.
