Just like us humans, chickens need a little something yummy here and there as a treat! Can you imagine life without a bit of chocolate or whatever your guilty pleasure may be? (for me personally it's Sour Patch Kids. YUM-O!)
In the winter, this can take the form of heads of cabbage, hung from the roof of the chicken run - a great opportunity to play with one's food! Watching the chickens move their heads back and forth with the rhythm of the cabbage as it swings back and forth can be a riot. I always put one head of cabbage higher than the other to add variety, too - it's hilarious to watch chickens jump a bit to get their treats (and good exercise for them!)
The turkeys aren't as into cabbage as the chickens and they ADORE melons so I looked for a watermelon to treat them to, instead. Holy Smokes! $10 for a half of a small watermelon! On second thought...... hehehe.... Not surprising given it's winter I know but I didn't think it would be that bad. So, they were treated to a heavy dose of dried mealworms and a little scratch mixed in instead - all of which they devoured. [the cantaloupe and honeydew available were rock hard]
Happy chickens. Happy turkeys. Happy me!