If you are like myself and my family, we love to supplement our flock’s diet with goodies such as meal worms, scratch, seeds, yogurt and scraps from the kitchen. One treat that we love to share with the girls involves gorgeous green cabbage leaves.
In the past, we would bring out these treats in bowls. After the flock gobbled down the goodies, we were left with dirty and muddy empty bowls in their wake. Of course, this is never a problem to clean out the bowls outside when the sun is shining and the outside water supply is still available. However, in the winter, it is never fun to clean up these bowls in the kitchen sink! Never mind cleaning the dirty bowls in the sink requires a complete disinfection and cleaning of the sink when you are through to prevent the spread of disease and illness.
During the winter, we always purchase a cabbage per week to create a hanging chicken pinata for the girls. I like to pick the cabbages with the darker less appealing leaves still attached on the outside. They make the best bowls as they are large, not as firm and can be rolled to your hearts content.
First, you can use them as bowls. We usually fill them with things like scratch, chicken oatmeal (after cooling) and yogurt sundaes. I love that the bowls are completely edible for the flock and that makes cleaning up after them disappear!
We also use them as wraps. Just like you would with a tortilla or a lettuce wrap at the Chinese restaurant pack in your goodies like cucumber skins, tomato tops, carrot peels and celery hearts. Roll them up and place them around the run. Not only is this fun, it certainly keeps them busy and active during these snow-filled winter days.
For more of my winter boredom busters, check these out!
Photo Credit: Tilly’s Nest
4 thoughts on “Cabbage Bowls and Wraps for Backyard Chickens”
what a great idea, I am going to make some for our chickens!!!
I love your edible treat bowls. The bit of snow we've had this last week has left mine seemingly a little dejected so hopefully this will cheer them up a bit 🙂
is cat food harmful?
I would not recommend it. There are a few reasons why, salt content comes to mind as well as fat content. Once in a while is probably not terrible, although I have never done it. I hope this makes sense.