Posted by on Apr 13, 2014 in Backyard Brood, Blog, Featured Post | 488 comments

Hard to believe, but it’s been a year since our little ladies were hatched and came home with us in a wee cardboard box at just one day old. If there’s one thing we’ve learned about hens, it’s that they sure love a good treat. And what better treat than their very own Hatchday Cake?

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They were a little wary at first, generally not taking well to enormous unfamiliar objects entering their space. The strawberries probably didn’t help much either as they tend to be suspicious of red things, but they were so cute and seasonal a topping, I couldn’t resist! Once the cake was settled in the lawn, I enticed the girls with a generous sprinkling of mealworms, yum! That did the trick. At least for the Ziggy, the boldest chicken (sporting a new hairdo that didn’t really work out in the long run, stylish as it is).

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Worms or no, I think the yogurt is what won them over. They LOVE yogurt. I used a thick Greek yogurt so it would stay stiff, and they mostly skimmed off that and the calendula petals before diving into the grain-and-fruit cornbread beneath. Eventually they really got into it.

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As you can see.

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NOM. Don’t worry, they didn’t eat the whole thing in one go. Chickens tend to go a little nuts for a new treat, but if there’s enough quantity they seem to lose interest and then circle back later in the day. Once they wandered off for a sun bath, I left them one hefty slice and took the rest upstairs to dole out over the next few days. Staleness is definitely not a concern of chickens, so they enjoyed it all week!

hatchday12 hatchday1Happy birthday, ladies! You bring us such joy and amusement. Hope you had a happy hatchday and we can look forward to many  many more.

If you’re curious about the contents of the hatchday cake and maybe even want to make one of your own, I’ve written about the process and the recipe here.