Each evening I go to visit Landlady’s chickens. I collect eggs, and they don’t care. I fill their waterbowl, and they don’t care. I spread pellets, and they don’t care a lot.
I open the bin full of sunflower seeds, and they become my closest friends.
There’s one in particular who gets kind of aggressive about it. If I take too long getting the lid off, she bites. And she’s been known to climb right into the bin.
Mayor Quimby learned from his late, unlamented brother Marlon. Marlon and I used to have Come-to-Jesus sessions every other day or so, and I never turned my back on him. Of course that meant he was first to the chopping block. Mayor Quimby and I have had very few misunderstandings: In fact he refuses to come anywhere near me. But he’s just as fond of sunflower seeds as any of the hens. I just needed to step away from the bin before he’d follow their lead.
The Aracaunas and Cornish were the same way, and the Rhode Island Reds would be if I let them. So as a general rule it’s clear: Chickens like sunflower seeds. But I don’t really understand why. They swallow them whole. I’ve slaughtered chickens that ate sunflower seeds the night before, and found the seeds still whole in their crops. So how can they even taste them? Why do they prefer one food over another at all?
I wonder the same thing myself. Our feed store switched suppliers about a month ago and the chicken scratch now sold has sunflower seeds in the mix. I wasn’t sure if our chickens would eat it, but it seems to be the 1st thing snatched up. ?? Maybe they think its a bug ?
Noticed they seem to be drinking more water, more then even the hot summer temps. The sunflower seed may have something to do with that too.
Do chickens have the ability to taste?
Yes, they can taste real good.
Black Oil Sunflower Seeds (BOSS) are a nice addition of protein for Chickens. Ours especially attack them when it is molting season. I believe that this assists in the Feather development/re growth.
🙂 Delicious, in fact, if properly roasted.