Feeding your chickens from your garden

I wouldn't say universal, but common. I myself give them extras that I don't need, as well as indian corn or field corn for them.
 
I don't grow anything extra in my garden for them produce wise, but they do get produce scraps. However, i have "cultivated" an area of my yard to grow certain "weeds" for them. Amaranth and lambs quarter being the main ones, if you let them grow until they go to seed you can cut off the entire seed head and throw it to them, or knock the seed off into a bucket. You can get alot of seed from one plant. I filled a 3 gallon bucket with seed from one amaranth plant last year.
 
I don't have enough garden space to use some for the chickens. But as others have mentioned they get any scraps I have as well as piles of weeds I pull, so far clover is their FAV. I feed it through the run wire and you have to be careful or you could lose a finger.
 
When I weed can I just give them all of the weeds? or is there some that are bad for them..... i been giving them some clover and stuff but wasn't sure how much I could give them... like crab grass and such?

I am planting a garden but nothing for them yet they will get scraps.... I do plant on letting them clean and weed my garden for me between crops.
 
Am I the only one that grows extra produce in my garden to feed to my chickens? Or is that a universal chicken keeper/gardener thing? :)
They just got a five gallon bucket of weeds, grown in the beds and in the paths between beds. It was virtually all top nutrition with mostly dandelion, grass, plantain, chicory, clover and chickweed. The cultivation of these outstanding veggies requires no input from me except harvesting. Regrettably I have a 12-month garden (3 months a year under hoop houses), so they are not allowed inside, else they could do the harvest for me. Eventually I will move to a paddock system, so they can weed each garden 2 months a year after I harvest my crops. They are far more sophisticated than me, I know that their dandelion is a better food than my eggplants.
 
I'm so excited to finally have something to do with all the weeds other than bagging! Anyone notice which weeds chickens won't eat/love??
 
They just got a five gallon bucket of weeds, grown in the beds and in the paths between beds. It was virtually all top nutrition with mostly dandelion, grass, plantain, chicory, clover and chickweed. The cultivation of these outstanding veggies requires no input from me except harvesting. Regrettably I have a 12-month garden (3 months a year under hoop houses), so they are not allowed inside, else they could do the harvest for me. Eventually I will move to a paddock system, so they can weed each garden 2 months a year after I harvest my crops. They are far more sophisticated than me, I know that their dandelion is a better food than my eggplants.
I'd love to see i pic of your garden area and the hoop houses I am thinking of doing something similar and letting the chickens in it to weed for me, between crops.
 
I have hoop tunnels in our garden, zone 6 I start planted out in jan and am still harvesting in December! I get to plant anywhere from 6-8 weeks earlier than everyone else and am harvesting 6-8 after everyone else! Be warned... It's a love hate relationship though! Lol whatever you do, DONT use plastic clamps, they tear holes in everything (I have tuff lite 4 plastic and ag-50 and ag-15 fabric). I've had to invest in the "sandbag store" sandbags to make everything last and more efficient. I love the sandbags except when I have to relocate a couple hundred every spring and fall
1f61e.png
. I love the covers (because I love fresh and early garden food) but they are a pain to properly clean, store, and take up quite a bit of space (not to mention the initial expense!). I wouldn't trade anything for my 1/2" and 3/4" EMT though! We don't get a lot of snow here but we sure are windy and pvc would never hold up! When it's 10 degrees outside in January, it's a tropical rain forest under the rows! Seriously. I've measured 130 deg temps inside and it literally rains. I grow to feed the family and its therefore, an essential but if you're only growing for recreation, I wouldn't recommend it. Best of luck!
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom