Haywood Cooking Blog: Easy Fall Protein-Rich Apple Treat for Molting Chickens

The shorter days heading into fall bring on the molting season for backyard chickens. During this time, which can last weeks or even months, they drop their old feathers and regrow brand new feathers to help them stay warm through the winter.
Adding a bit of extra protein to their diet during this time can help them grow their feathers in faster since feathers are almost all protein. You can feed your chickens meat scraps or a variety of plants that are high in protein. Or you can make them this easy, nutritious apple treat.
Ingredients
Several apples, cored (apple seeds contain cyanide, so to be on the safe side, I remove the seeds) Unsalted natural peanut butter (check your health food store or Amazon) Black oil sunflower seeds
Fill the centers of the apples with the peanut butter and then sprinkle sunflower seeds on top. Don't be surprised if your chickens are suspicious of new treats at first, but once one digs in, the rest will follow.