My backyard birds are spoiled, I admit it. Okay, maybe not as spoiled as some but mine definitely live a good life. In the winter, some mornings the run is covered in frost and the girls are huddled together under the coop and out of the weather. These mornings I like to make them what I call a “Boujee Bird Breakfast”.
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What’s boujee mean?
Probably best spelled “bougie” or “bourgie” coming from the word bourgeois which by definition means “middle class”. Basically it’s a term the young bucks of the world added to their slang a few years back and us elder millennials are just now learning how to use accurately and thus, employing. Much like we will eventually do to today’s slang like “bussin'”, “no cap”, and “rizz” when the youngins have moved on to cooler verbiage.
For the sake of phonetics, I choose to spell it the way it sounds for my own sake and the sake of those elder millennials and Gen X reading my writings.
However boujee that may be.
Why should I feed my flock a warming bird breakfast?
Your birds are cold too. They live in the elements and though I am confident the Lord created them to sustain the weathers, as husbandry of our animals is on our daily task lists, we are called to steward them.
This means to take care of our animals in all seasons. Make sure they are fed, watered, and have adequate shelter especially if we pen them in runs or coops for any amount of time as this does not allow for their natural instincts and ability to kick in to find their own shelter or safe roosting spaces in the wild.
Should you feed your birds a special breakfast? I can’t answer that for you but I know I do not do it every day but often enough when it’s cold out.
Some people feed their flocks treats of mealworms and scratch grains. I like to feed mine a hot plate of goodies.
How to prepare a boujee bird breakfast
Ingredients:
Subject to change and based on what you may have on hand and measurements are at your own will
Fresh herbs if your garden is still producing oregano and parsley
Apple (skins or the whole thing, cored)
Oatmeal (cooked)
Dry spices/herbs:
- garlic powder
- turmeric
- cinnamon
- oregano
- salt (like Redmond)
- red pepper flakes
Stale crackers or bread (if available)
Mealworms (optional!)
Seeds like sunflowers, chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc (optional)
How to:
In a 10x 1 1/2 inch pie plate, layer on your ingredients starting with fresh herbs then the apple and then the oatmeal.
Next, are the dried herbs and spices. In any order you’d like, sprinkle on the dried versions. No measurements needed, just use discernment or the voice of your ancestors saying “that’s enough, my child” (or maybe that’s the Holy Spirit).
Finally, add your bread crumbs or stale crackers and meal worms and/or seeds.
Feed your boujee bird breakfast to your flock. If there are mealworms, they will certainly attack this meal.
How nutritious is a boujee bird breakfast?
Admittedly, this bird breakfast is mostly carbs. Poultry need a good amount of protein in their daily diets too. If you add seeds and mealworms, you should be square for protein levels. But if you’re like me and do not have those ingredients most of the time, you could leave them out and just consider this a treat breakfast much like pancakes are for children. These kinds of breakfasts are okay every once in a while but not wonderful for every day sustenance.
The herbs and spices like oregano, garlic, and red pepper flakes have properties in them that are fantastic for a bird’s digestion and maintaining gut-healthy insides. These are namely good for parasites. As for the “hotness” of red pepper flakes, the birds cannot taste the hotness but do benefit from the capsaicin found in hot peppers.
If you like chicken related things, consider these posts:
Preserving fresh eggs for winter
Raising Meat Birds on Half an Acre
$5 DIY Chicken Processing Cone
Backyard bird bone broth recipe
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