Calling the Chickens

"Here, Chick, chick, chick, chick, chick, chick, chick!"  That is the call.  It is done in a high pitched falsetto.  It must include the work 'chick' seven times.  It must be done this way at feeding time so they come.  However, I've never not done it, so they'd probably come even without the call.  I'm sure of it, actually.

Our birds roam free across three acres of pasture, eating their fill of grass, bugs, worms, leaves, spiders, and grain they scratch out of cow poop.  They are omnivores and eat frogs, lizards, mice, and will even cannibalize one another if one is attacked and killed by a predator.  They pretty much are on their own, but they'll never turn down chicken scratch.

We currently feed them chicken scratch that the lady at the feed store calls, "Six Way."  Best I can figure, she calls it that because there are six ingredients.  Here is some in a bucket:

I don't have the ingredient list handy, but I see corn, milo, sunflower seeds, a pellet of some sort, and oats.  That's only five.  Maybe the sixth is wheat that I'm confusing with oats?  Regardless, the chickens really seem to like this stuff.  In the winter, we switch to a laying pellet that has a higher protein percent as they are unable to supplement with much in the pasture as there's not much grass.

So I do the Chicken Call and they come running...  quickly.  They gather with anticipation as I throw out a handful onto the ground.

I spread it thinly over a large area.  If you tend to put it down in thick piles, the pesky goats will eat it all before the chickens can get it.  We feed them twice a day and provide them with free choice fresh water and oyster shell.  The chickens are curious creatures, fun to watch, and we definitely enjoy their fresh country eggs.  Our flock numbers between 45 - 50 birds right now.  Egg production is soon to drop off substantially as the daylight hours dwindle.  We might order a few pullets to replenish those that kicked the bucket this year, but we'll talk about it, the wife and I.  That means more chicken scratch to throw down and more chickens to call.