Italian Chicks

When chickens are molting it’s important to feed them well to keep up their energy. Protein is especially good for them. I don’t feed my chicks meat so I give them protein by way of cooked beans, sunflower seeds, oatmeal, cottage cheese, yogurt and cooked eggs.

My chicks eat a little too well sometimes. I feed them layer feed because it’s nutritionally balanced for laying hens. When I’m home the chicks have free-range of the garden, lawn and overgrown woods. On top of that, they often get leftovers from a day of cooking when I’m creating recipes for an article.

They love their treats, but I don’t think they realize how lucky they are. I kept track of their menu for a few days this week:

Saturday: Linguine with Tomatoes and Beans
Sunday: Scrambled Egg, Squishy Raspberries and Yogurt
Monday: Mascarpone Polenta
Tuesday: Leftover Bits of Parmigiano-Reggiano and Extra Ripe Tomatoes From the Farmer’s Market
Wednesday: A Cheese Plate of Leftover Fontina Cheese Accompanied by Apples and Pears

I’ll probably hear from my two sons that they didn’t eat this well growing up!

As you can see, it’s been Italian week at our house because I’m working on an article on Italian cooking. The chicks do a lot of running when they free-range or I’m afraid they’d start to gain a lot of weight. Not that they’d mind. I’m sure they’d bustle around like stereotypical Italian grandmothers, a little overweight but with a very happy smile on their face.

If you're getting a little hungry reading about all this wonderful food, I've included a recipe for my favorite no-effort pasta dish.