Friday, February 15, 2013

Feathered Friend Friday

Welcome to our series "Feathered Friend Friday." Every Friday I write a post with interesting facts, photos, videos, or funny stories about our chickens and guineas. If you need to catch up, you'll find all the Feathered Friend Friday posts here     

I've seen my chickens eat some really weird stuff. Pretty much anything is fair game, including mice and frogs (ewwww). This time, it wasn't quite as gross, but definitely kind of strange and something I'd never seen them eat before.


 

They were going crazy over the moss on the trees! It was kind of long and stringy, and they all took turns getting a taste.

 
  
Red seemed to enjoy it the most and kept going back for more. I searched online and couldn't really find anything saying it was harmful for them to eat moss, so I let them have at it.


What's the strangest thing your chickens have eaten?

~Tammy

Shared with Farm Girl Blog FestClever Chicks Blog Hop, Backyard Farming Connection, Down Home Blog HopThe HomeAcre HopEco Kids Tuesday, Rurality Blog Hop   

49 comments:

  1. That is too funny! i have seen my chickens eat small frogs and even a small snake. eewww

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  2. gotta get your greens where you can, i guess. :) cute!

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  3. I've seen them eat frogs and mice, too, regularly... but moss! Wow! I'm so glad I found your blog yesterday!

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  4. Those are hungry little girls - they will take what they can get ;) As always, love the photos!

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  5. Stopping by from the BMB party.

    I'm your latest follower!

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  6. Well, at least they aren't out in the street eating garbage like the chickens do here. :/ Have a great day. Tammy

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  7. I guess when you're hungry, you're hungry - whether your a human, chicken or whatever :) I didn't realize that they ate smaller critters, though. That's interesting.

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  8. lol @ TWG! lol

    i've never heard of them eating moss before, how odd =0

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  9. I have seen my chickens go after a lizard before.

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  10. I know it is not unusual, but I love to watch them chase grasshoppers.

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  11. Oh, I think WE can eat moss. I think I've seen it on one of the survivor shows my kids like on Netflix like Survivorman or Man, Woman, Wild or that Bear Grils one. Not much bothers me that the chickens and ducks eat, but FROGS. Seeing a chicken or duck running around with frog legs sticking out and the others wanting to share...Nah! LOL

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  12. I love Feathered Friday they must need the green I am sure it will not hurt them. Love the shots. B

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  13. Your chickens always crack me up just a little bit. They are interesting little characters!

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  14. Oh my gosh, that's funny! One tried it and the others just aren't missing out, just like my kids, lol. :)

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  15. I had no idea chickens eat frogs?? Crazy stuff!

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  16. Tammy, while I don't have chickens (yet!) I was horrified when Kona ate a live baby bird. I tried to stop her, but she was too fast. I guess in her mind it was a simply another form of a snack, like a biscuit!

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  17. But moss is so pretty! My girls found some green weeds today, you would have thought they were diamonds the way they were fighting over them. The snow is finally starting to give up its hold and has melted around the trees, the chickens are in heaven.

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  18. It looks like they are having a pretty well balanced diet! Proteins, veggies...
    :)
    Have a great weekend, Tammy!

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  19. Wow! It must taste good. I guess you'll find out just how much they like it, if they go back again! Too funny :)

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  20. Chickens eat mice and frogs? Really!?! Wow, I learn a lot here!
    Farmhouse hugs,
    Cindy

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  21. I haven't caught my ladies eating anything strange yet. I am more surprised at how fussy they are, and what they won't eat!

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  22. As usual, you have posted such captivating photographs. They all made me smile. :)

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  23. Not sure the weirdest...but the most annoying...my chives. All of them. Grr.

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  24. Your chickens are so interesting. They always make me smile.

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  25. I love Red's intense gaze! That moss must have been good! I don't have chickens, but my cockatiel loves yogurt, chicken and eggs. Yea, he's a cannibal for sure!

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  26. Hi Tammy,
    Stopping by to say hi from the Boost my Blog party :) Hope you'll share these cute photos on The HomeAcre Hop :)

    The weirdest things my chickens have eaten....hmmmmmm. I've seen them snatch up baby mice (yay!), bugs of course, anything from the compost they deem edible, but I can't say any of that is weird. :)
    Have a great weekend!

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  27. Hi Tammy..
    Came across your blog..love the feathred Friday post....our chickens also eat mice and frogs.. When its cold out I give them. Cooked noodles ( warm) they love it.. looks like worms to them I think...they also love dried meal worms as a treat ..we get them from the Farm co - op...they eat them right out of our hands.....
    Will be following your blog.....pop over and say hi on mine.
    Cheryl

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  28. I don't have chickens, but the horses were seen eating Texas tumble weeds this week. Can't imagine that tasting any better than moss.

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  29. That is really different and something my chickens will never eat, no moss here in the high desert! LOL!!
    My chickens were actually afraid of an extra-large tomato worm one time, I think it got away. ;)

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  30. Very cool!! Miss must be pretty tasty! :)

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  31. How unusual! Lovely shots.

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  32. I haven't seen our eating moss , but know what you mean about chicken eating the strangest thing! We have a big beautiful Salmon Faverelle (French breed rooster) , he is the one in the family photo in my first blog post. He is the sweetest and largest of our Roos and he loves people. This rooster is definitely an avid mouser !! He will catch mice ,grab their tail and run like the roof was on fire. Poor little mouse dangling swaying as our Roo zig zags at his best chicken wobble run ( chickens running will make anyone giggle) . Of course once the commotion starts all the flock has to run after him to see what he has. Well I won't go into the after details, but I do rather feel bad for the unsuspecting little mice :(

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  33. i've always wanted a rooster! i just love to hear a rooster crow :)

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  34. I've never heard of any animal eating moss! Interesting! And I like that your lil' ones appreciate all sorts of foods....moss is a food now, I guess? ;-)

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  35. Interesting. We don't have moss in our area and I haven't heard of them eating this either. I think if it doesn't hurt them it's all good. Hope your having a great weekend.

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  36. I love you garden and the pics are so pretty! My party is up if you are interested. Have a super week! Happy Monday!
    Xo Isabelle
    http://lechateaudesfleurs.blogspot.com/2013/02/link-party-for-easter-and-features.html

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  37. We used to have chickens and that is strange. Unfortunately on our farm we were more concerned about all the animals that wanted to eat our chickens!

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  38. That's interesting...maybe it was the bright green color this time of year. Maybe you made a new discovery! :)

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  39. Tammy,
    You have very healthy looking chickens, so what ever it is that she is picking at in that moss - I bet it's very good for her!! Plus the moss may be alike a salad to her??
    Cute Chickies!!

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  40. Really nice photos of your feathered friends. Think I saw a Speckled Sussex in the mix : ) I am sure mine would go for anything green like that. Especially this time of year!

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  41. Great photos. Lovely to see your post!
    It is perfect for the theme!

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  42. Found you through the clever chicks bh too. we are new to chickens so I was horrified to see ours snap up a little skink one day when I was in the veggie patch. Up until then I thought that chickens were vegetarians!

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  43. This is so funny! I've never seen out girls do this - we did have an egg layed in the goat's hay feeder the other day.

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  44. Those crazy chickens! I'm always surprised at what they'll eat. Ours eat almost anything. Living in the city is hard with chickens because we have a lot of gross debris blow into our yard from the neighboring rite aid and street traffic. I've seen my chickens gobble up a chunk of Styrofoam before I could get it away from them! I think at this point I'm less surprised by what they WILL eat and more surprised by what they WON'T eat! I threw out an old artichoke a few weeks ago and was shocked that it went untouched. They must not have known what glorious bits were on the inside!

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  45. Thank you for joining in 'Rurality Blog Hop #4' Hope to see you next Wednesday for #5...

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  46. tehehe a little desperate for some greens?!

    Thanks for sharing with us at Eco-Kids Tuesday. I hope you stop by again today! http://likemamalikedaughter.blogspot.com/2013/03/stamping-fun-at-eco-kids-tuesday.html

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