Happy Hour Treats
At our house, cocktail hour definitely means drinks for us, but it also means treats for the chickens. And boy do they know it (and come running…like a herd of gazelles…just marginally less gracefully...).
Snack time is actually a very integral part of how we keep our city flock healthy. With their limited access to free range space (our chicken “garden” is more or less a glorified patio), we need to make sure we are providing them with a nutritious diet, plenty of fresh snacks, as well as high quality supplemental treats that encourage them to engage in healthy foraging behaviors. Which is why we love this new Non-GMO 6 Grain & Flaxseed Scratch from Manna Pro…but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Part of my whole garden-to-glass cocktail life is, not only growing as many of my fresh ingredients as I can in my garden, but then feeding the waste to the chickens. Not the booze waste, mind you, nor the citrus waste. But pretty much everything else. And, in general, our leftover kitchen scraps, and any garden rejects (weeds, wormy leaves, spent blooms, bruised or damaged fruit) also go to these tiny, feathered trash compactors. For instance, the Watermelon-Mint Rum Punch I’m seen holding in these images: there was ALAWT of leftover rind after juicing the meat. What to do with leftover watermelon rind? PUT IT IN THE CHICKENS.
Adding a little bit of scratch to the girls’ happy hour snack routine encourages them to hunt and peck and kick the dirt around while they also eat their fruits and greens (obviously, this doesn’t factor in when they are bellied up to the Chicken Bar, but this was a staged photo, mmmkay? Usually I feed them in the dirt area in the chicken garden). I especially love that Manna Pro’s Non-GMO 6 Grain & Flaxseed Scratch is made with no artificial colors or ingredients and with grains sourced right here in the good ol’ USA. As part of a well-balanced diet, it is a fabulous snack to treat them with from time to time.
The chickens love this stuff so much that they now recognize the bag and descend like vultures.
If you’ve never had the pleasure of sitting and watching your chickens chicken around, happily gobbling treats, you’re missing out. And if you haven’t done this while sipping on an adult beverage, you’re REALLY missing out. As it turns out, THIS IS THE POINT OF MY VERY EXISTENCE. Duh.
I should probably note that it’s probably not the best idea to let your chickens eat off your bar, because they will inevitably try to put their grubby little paws on your bar top. Remember how I said they’re going to want to kick the scratch around? Sitting nicely on a bar chair is great and all, but they’re gonna wanna kick some scratch on your bar top. Trust me. SANITATION IS IMPORTANT, PEOPLE.
Cheers to the happiest hour!
**This is a sponsored post in partnership with Manna Pro. Connect with other backyard chicken owning friends by following @CityYolks on Instagram and Facebook.