Chickens can Eat Cranberries
I’m Evelyn, a farmer for over 30 years and I thought this might be something you’d want to hear since you have a blog on cranberries.
I need to talk about what just happened on my farm because I am baffled and maybe a little bit amused.
A few days ago, I decided to test out a new treat for my flock—cranberries. You know, just something different to break up the usual snack routine of kitchen scraps and scratch grain. I wasn’t expecting much. I’ve seen my birds pick and choose through snacks like the nutty dinosaurs they are, so I figured some would like cranberries, some wouldn’t, and we’d all go on with our day.
I was wrong.
They went absolutely INSANE.
I don’t even know how to describe the insanity that unfolded. It was like I’d unlocked some deep ancestral craving in their tiny dinosaur brains. The moment they realized what was in my hand, my normally friendly flock transformed into a full-blown mob. I barely had time to toss the cranberries before they were launching themselves at me like I was some kind of giant, walking snack dispenser.
Let me tell you, nothing prepares you for the horror of being swarmed by chickens with an unholy passion for little red berries. I mean, they’ve always been food-motivated, but this was next-level. I was the Pied Piper of Cranberry Chaos, leading a feathery revolution I hadn’t signed up for.
The real trouble though, began when I ran out.
Attack of the Chickens
That LOOK. The absolute heartbreak in their little beady eyes.
Nadine, my head hen—who normally struts around like she owns the place—was NOT having it. This is the same chicken who tolerates no nonsense from anyone, not even me. She walked right up to me, puffed up in pure indignation, and gave me the most aggressive, insistent peck I’ve ever received. Not hard enough to hurt, mind you, but just enough to communicate, “Excuse me, human, I believe you have forgotten my cranberries.”
And then, as if on cue, the rest of the flock followed suit. They didn’t just go back to pecking at the dirt like normal chickens. No, they sat there staring at me. Waiting. Expecting. Plotting. The look of their disappointment was almost too much to bear. It was as if I had personally insulted each and every one of their tiny feathered ancestors by not producing an infinite supply of cranberries on demand.
And now, ladies and gentlemen of the Cranby blog, I have a problem.
My chickens no longer care about any other treat. Scratch? Meh. Mealworms? Indifferent. My homemade wheat bread crusts that I lovingly saved for them? Not good enough. They eat it, sure, but with an air of resentment. Like I have personally failed them in some crazy way.
The worst part? Now they associate ME with cranberries. Not the treat bin, not the feed bucket—ME.
Every time I walk outside, I get swarmed. It doesn’t matter if I’m carrying anything or not. It doesn’t matter if it’s 6 AM and I’m just trying to get to the barn for morning chores. The moment I step foot outside, my entire flock emerges from whatever corner of the yard they were lurking in, charging toward me like a white, feathery stampede.
Do you know what it’s like to be followed by 40 chickens that fully believe you are withholding their one true joy in life? I can’t get anything done without being interrupted by hopeful little clucks and the occasional sharp peck from Nadine. It’s like living with a gang of tiny, cranberry-addicted hooligans who shake me down for treats every time I leave the house.
And yet, I can’t help but laugh about it.
There’s something so ridiculous about being held hostage by a flock of birds who refuse to accept that cranberries are not, in fact, their main source of nutrition. Yes, cranberries are good to give chickens obviously, but I’m almost tempted to just let them binge themselves one day and see what happens. Will they get sick of them, the way kids do when you give them too much of what they want? Will they finally appreciate the other food options I usually give? Or will they only want them even more, demanding more cranberries until I’m forced to take out a second mortgage just to fund their berry ‘habit?’
Kick the Habit
I wonder if this has this ever happened to anyone else. If anyone has ever introduced a treat that turned their normally well-behaved chicks into an angry mob ? It’s like they have a dependency of some kind of crazy craving? Or do I just accept my fate as the official Cranberry Queen and start buying in bulk 😂?
I tried to get some advice from other farmers in the area but they all just laughed and made fun of my chickens. Some moral support while I tried to reclaim my dignity would have been nice, but seriously, it was really, really funny.
Hope the readers enjoy my little adventure with my pen.
– Evelyn
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