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Website describing food that chickens eat Sphero

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Kassandra Smith
Senior Editor * Backyard Chicken Coops
Once upon a time, chickens were wild creatures, running around in their native habitat and scratching and foraging for food. So before they could pop down to the shop and buy themselves some lay mash, what on earth did the wild chickens eat for food?
What on earth do you mean - 'wild chicken'?
Firstly, what do we mean by 'wild chicken'? Well, one of the first recognisable breeds of wild chicken was the 'Jungle Fowl '. This breed is pretty much the foundation of all chicken breeds we know and love today! The Jungle Fowl can still be found in the wild in places like Indonesia, India and Southeast Asia. You can also find them in Australia, however they are not running loose - many people continue to breed them for their spectacular colours. So when we refer to the 'wild chickens' that make up our domesticated chickens ancestors, think of the Jungle Fowl!

Many chicken keepers ask this question because they want to replicate the chickens natural diet rather than give them commercial feed. Well, before the chickens were fed their daily scraps at 5pm from their keepers, their diet was made up of a number of different food sources. Well, if you're interested in bringing your chickens diet back to that of their fore bearers (within reason) and finding out what chickens eat in the wild, here's a guide to the food of the fowls of old!
Crunchy, juicy, tasty insects! A smorgasbord for wild chickens
Insects found from foraging were the staple of the wild chickens diet. Termites, ants, even grasshoppers are rich in protein and nutrients, and very tasty for our little chickens! Another delicious treat that a scratching, foraging chicken would also come across is a big, fat, juicy worm! Mmm... worms are another great source of protein for active chickens, to help keep them healthy.
Should I still feed these to my chickens?
Modern domesticated chickens that free range still enjoy the tasty benefits of insects, as they peck them up off the ground and out of our precious garden beds. A pest-free garden is quite the benefit for the avid gardener! Chickens can also enjoy tasty meal worms as a treat, but give it to them in small quantities as too much protein is not good for them. Can you imagine if the wild chickens got given a handful of meal worms without working for it? They would have gone, well, wild!
Wild chickens got their leafy green fix from natures plants
Before there was home-grown garden produce to peck at, chickens got their natural nutrient fixes from edible plants growing around their environment. They also loved to peck at wild berries and fruits that were within the reach of their beak (no wonder they still love berries so much!). Leaves from young plants rounded out their all natural diet.
Should I still feed these to my chickens?
It's still a great idea to feed your domesticated chickens some fresh produce and plant-based foods to keep their nutrients up. Spinach, kale, cabbage, and also things like pumpkin and potato will help keep your chickens healthy and full. Fresh or frozen berries are also still a poultry favourite in our backyard flocks, and very nutritious and delicious for them - so keep on feeding! Maybe you can scatter them around the backyard so the chickens can behave like their wild ancestors and 'forage' for berries. Nothing gives them incentive to exercise like food!
Pretty much anything they can get their beaks on....
Nowadays, the few 'wild chickens' that still exist pretty much eat any human food they can get their beaks on. Hey, you gotta survive how you gotta survive! This means some wild birds have eaten all sorts of crazy food - popcorn, white bread, when they're desperate, they'll eat anything they can get their beaks on!
Should I still feed these to my chickens?
Chickens can eat some human food like cooked rice, pasta, bits of whole grain bread, and of course fresh leafy greens, fruits and veggies - but when it comes to things like popcorn (we mean the stuff laden in butter and salt) it's probably best to steer clear! Chickens won't be able to digest junk food or processed food very well (plus it's not very good for them!) so it's probably best to leave these in the rubbish. Also, anything high in sugar should not be fed to the flock, as it's not great for their digestive system. No lollipops for the girls!

So if you're looking to give your girls the authentic diet of their wild chicken ancestors, and have been pondering what chickens eat in the wild, it's all about insects, worms, leafy greens and berries! (It's kind of like the 'paleo diet' for chickens!). It's still recommended that you keep feeding your girls lay mash, as this has been specifically formulated to their needs and has the right levels of nutrients required. You can always give the chickens the natural treats of their ancestors as a side dish!
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Once upon a time, chickens were wild creatures, running around in their native habitat and scratching and foraging for food. So before they could pop down to the shop and buy themselves some lay mash, what on earth did the wild chickens eat for food? What on earth do you mean - 'wild chicken'?

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Video describing RVR

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Exploratorium

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Hungry for fresh, exciting science activities based in amazing phenomena? Science Snacks are hands-on, teacher-tested, and use cheap, available materials. Satisfy your curiosity without ever getting full.

Don't miss our Special Collections.

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Science Snacks: Projects and Activities You Can Do!

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Hungry for fresh, exciting science activities based in amazing phenomena? Science Snacks are hands-on, teacher-tested, and use cheap, available materials. Satisfy your curiosity without ever getting full. Don't miss our Special Collections.

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Complete the journey from Ares 3 to Ares 4 - This challenge is based on the novel, The Martian".

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Sphero Edu is your hub to create, contribute, and learn with Sphero robots. Grab a bot, fire up your imagination, and get started.

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A communication coding challenge based on the novel, "The Martian".

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Sphero Edu is your hub to create, contribute, and learn with Sphero robots. Grab a bot, fire up your imagination, and get started.

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Sphero Grapes of Wrath Challenge - YouTube

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Simulating the Journey of the Joad family the groups must journey from Oklahoma, across the mountains to California.

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Sphero Social Distancing Challenge - YouTube

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Sphero challenge from March to April of 2020 - Student collaboration while practicing responsible social distancing.

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@rperry209 (Twitter)
rperry41091@gmail.com
YouTube

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Explore travel across Mars as written about in The Martian by Andy Weir. Specifically, recreate Mark Watney's trip from the Hab to the MAV (Mars Ascent Vehicle).

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Learn how to use the color sensors on RVR in real world applications. This lesson will focus on robots in agriculture - and be conducted indoors or outdoors.

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Journey to the Center of Earth Sphero Activity

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Journey to the Center of Earth Sphero Activity

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Nature 3: Journey to the Center of the Earth

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This planet we call home, Earth, is not a solid rock, but is divided into layers. In this activity, you will learn about Sphero's Block Programming environment and journey all the way to the core of the earth. (1) I can use block programming to program Sphero's path through a maze.

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When using coding, making, and building, starting with Empathy is key!

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Learning about our planet can be made super engaging by using Sphero in an Engineering Challenge for seismic safe buildings. Check out this book for ideas!

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This book showcases exploration of science with a blend of tools. From Sphero robots to tape, glue, iPads and more, students will be working with science themes, the process of making, and digital project building. Lessons in this book can be used independently of the unit.

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‎This book showcases exploration of science with a blend of tools. From Sphero robots to tape, glue, iPads and more, students will be working with science themes, the process of making, and digital project building. Lessons in this book can be used independently of the unit.

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Exploring plastics in the environment, this book shares ways to use the Engineering Design Process, literature, coding, and more with Sphero to teach.

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This book will support teachers interested in using Sphero robots to explore literature, science, coding, engineering, and more! Lesson plans, materials, assessment, and examples are included to help jump start ideas for a fun unit of study. Students from grades 3-6 (and beyond) will love working with this challenge.

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‎This book will support teachers interested in using Sphero robots to explore literature, science, coding, engineering, and more! Lesson plans, materials, assessment, and examples are included to help jump start ideas for a fun unit of study. Students from grades 3-6 (and beyond) will love working wi...

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Students can read accounts of the flu pandemic and use for building BOLT programs to share stories through code.

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Archived: This Page Is No Longer Being Updated

This website is archived for historical purposes and is no longer being maintained or updated.

The CDC's Pandemic Flu Storybook provides readers with a look at the impact pandemic flu events have had on both survivors and the families and friends of non-survivors. These stories are not folklore, but personal recollections. This collection of stories was first released in 2008 to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the 1918 flu pandemic.

This is the story of the 1918 flu pandemic as told by my 97-year-old grandmother, Sadie Afraid of His Horses-Janis.

View selected photos and illustrations from the Pandemic Influenza Storybook.

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centers for disease control and prevention

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Pandemic Flu Storybook provides readers with an intimate look at the impact pandemic flu events have had on both survivors and the families and friends of non-survivors. The stories within the pages of this book are not folklore, but personal recollections from the 1918 and 1957 events.

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leahlacrosse@gmail.com
@llacrosse (Twitter)
@lacrossescience (Instagram)

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Sustainability explained through visuals

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INFORMATION ARTWORKS - The Lexicon: words to change your world

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Douglas Gayeton's work focuses on inspiring people whose practices offer us a different way to look at food, agriculture and water. Their first-person accounts blend instructive observations with philosophical insights that explain how we can create a more regenerative, just, and nourishing food system.

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robotic adventures in english - teaching empathy with sphero

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Robotic Adventures in English - Teaching Empathy with Sphero by Richard Perry on iBooks

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Read a free sample or buy Robotic Adventures in English - Teaching Empathy with Sphero by Richard Perry. You can read this book with iBooks on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac.

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willcottjulie@gmail.com
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