Chicken won't stop eating tree leaves

jillianjo · Apr 7, 2016

We have several citrus trees in pots in our yard, as well as several other potted plants. Our ~8 week old chicken loves hopping up on the pots and going from pot to pot. Lately she has started pecking at the young tree leaves. At first I thought she just liked to peck at them, but I noticed she's actually eating the leaves. Is there anyway to prevent this? I'm sure it's not bad for her but it's obviously not helping the trees at all. So far we've only let her have her chicken feed and the occasional mealworm, but would she benefit from having some other kind of leafy green vegetable to pick at rather than our tree leaves?

Ballerina Bird · Apr 7, 2016

jillianjo said:
We have several citrus trees in pots in our yard, as well as several other potted plants. Our ~8 week old chicken loves hopping up on the pots and going from pot to pot. Lately she has started pecking at the young tree leaves. At first I thought she just liked to peck at them, but I noticed she's actually eating the leaves. Is there anyway to prevent this? I'm sure it's not bad for her but it's obviously not helping the trees at all. So far we've only let her have her chicken feed and the occasional mealworm, but would she benefit from having some other kind of leafy green vegetable to pick at rather than our tree leaves?

They are so funny. I grow chard for mine in pots, and they love that. I do have to circulate the pots between the back of the house (where they have access) and the front (where the don't) so they don't eat it all at once. I don't know if that will actually make her less likely to go after your citrus, though; chickens get notions in their heads. Is there a way to keep them separate from where your flock has access?

Chicken won't stop eating tree leaves

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