Maman Poule

1. Crushed egg shells

Believe it or not, its actually very good to feed back to your chickens providing they don’t look like eggs anymore!  Crush the egg shell and bake in the oven for a few minutes – you can feed the shell back to them once cooled as a great source of calcium and has the added benefit of reinforcing the grit in their crop (which they use as « teeth » to grind their food up.

Beware – if they still look like eggs, you could well encourage the nasty habit of egg eating!

2. Snails

A real delicacy, albeit a slightly dangerous one!  Not all chickens eat snails, but I have witnessed on occasion one of my girls snatching up a small/medium sized snail and swallowing it whole.  This, of course, assumes that the bird is healthy and has sufficient in the crop to mash up the snail.  Daily observation should be carried out anywhere, but this is a great reason to double check a crop that looks full first thing in the morning.

3. Frogs

Ah frogs, we are in France aren’t we?!  If the unlucky frog isn’t quicky enough, he may find himself permanently out of action in the belly of a hungry hen.  Expect great eggs during the next few days!

4. Flies

Its highly amusing to observe what looks like mad hen disease where the girls are just running around looking in the air – upon closer inspection they are likely chasing the odd fly!  Especially in the Summer, flies are prevalent so its nature taking action – the hens love flying protein and actually seem to find it amusing themselves!  I really hope so, they seem to!

5. Raw meat

Some people swear by giving the odd bit of fresh, raw meat to their birds (but not poultry as it could potentially cause the spread of disease, not to mention that’s called canabalism).  Chickens are omnivores after all, evening without encouragement, so why not?  Its good practice however, to ensure that no meat is left after the end of the day to avoid it going bad and making the birds sick or rotting.

6. Crushed oyster shells

An excellent source of calcium, people can also use crushed oyster shell as a replacement for grit or small particles of sand to replace what has been used up in the crop.  In this part of France at least, its very easy to find the shells on the beach – and I’m fairly sure that we don’t really need an excuse to go?

7. Lizards

The unsuspecting lizard, if he or she is a little cold first thing in the morning, could have their day ended rather suddenly with the passing by of our feathered friends.  Chickens have no trouble swallowing them whole if they’re not too big. 

I feel certain they would eat snakes if they were small enough!

That being said, when we first moved in we turned over 100m2 for a vegetable plot – the hens roamed in the turned soil and helped us dispose of numerous soft-shelled white eggs about the size of a quail egg that we found in the soil.  I think these were probably snake eggs but I am no expert – they didn’t stay long enough to photograph as they disappeared in the abyss that is the hen’s beak!

8. Feathers

The odd feather lying around may find its way into the hens beak – they eat the odd feather to boost their own minerals.  If, however, they eat feathers straight off a neighbouring hen, beware – the first taste of blood can lead to disaster in the way of hen pecking, making a wound and in the worst cases, death of the victim.

If you are unlucky enough to have this problem, separate the aggressor not the victim first.  The idea is to isolate that aggressor to break the habit before it becomes too ingrained – once she has this bad habit, it is very hard to break and often leads to disposal of the hen (unless she wants to live alone, which is against nature). See point 10.

The victim will, of course, need careful treatment for the wound.  Once she is better, she can be returned to the flock.  Make sure the aggressor is returned well after the victim has been reintegrated.

Note: it is prudent to reintroduce at dusk, as with introducing new birds.  Extra observation will be required for the following days.

9. Mashed potato

A harmless and fun way to use leftovers!  The hens love it and make a mess – you can watch them clean their beaks on the ground or a low branch after their snack.  I am sure you will recognise this gesture in wild birds such as finches after they have had some grain on a feeder you left out.

As with any feed, make sure its all gone before they go to bed to avoid rats and other unwanted dinner guests.

10. Each other

Sadly in extreme cases and if left untreated, cannibalistic poultry will eventually eat their victim.  The bright red blood draws their attention – visually as much as by smell.  It is highly advisable to destroy cannibals as they can encourage others to follow suit.