Feeding Hay to Chickens

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I feed the horses grass hay year-round and the chickens do eat some of it, but mostly they like scratching through the loose stuff on the ground to see what yummy bugs might be hiding underneath. When we bring in a new load, it gets "inspected" by several of the girls and the younger roo before we have a chance to unload it, it's funny to see a ton of hay on a truck covered in chickens!
Be sure they have acess to gravel or grit, either as free range or supplement and you should be fine.
 
OK, so stupid question. What's better to give them to forage through; Grass hay, orchard, timothy, alfalfa? Is there something I should stay away from because it has too much protein (ie, alfalfa) I'm a new chicken mom with five 3 month old pullets and I love to give them extra's like kitchens scraps, grass trimmings, and bugs. My 4 yr old son goes out daily to collect bugs for them.

I want to spoil them but I don't want to hurt them either.
 
Alfalfa hay is easier to process and likely more palatable. Protein will not be too high. Make certain grit is available. My younger/faster growing birds are less interested in hays. As birds mature they will often eat more. Odds are your young birds will cherry pick the more tender parts leaving the coarser stems intact.
 
If there is snow cover. I will put a bale or two of grass hay out for my chickens. Mainly as boredom busters. It gives them something to scratch around in. Plus they get to eat the grass seeds they find. I don’t consider it a feed supplement.
 
remuda1 said:
Mine all get alfalfa everyday. The older ones also free range for several hours a day but with our drought even free range greens are scarce. The little ones aren't free ranging yet so I like to make sure they get daily greens. I shake it out on the ground then spray it with the water hose. They LOVE it wet down. By the end of the day, other than the stems it's all gone. I have horses and sheep so I always have alfalfa anyway. The bedding in the coop and the grow out pen coops is hay but I don't find that mine eat it.
Click to expand...
is your alfalfa that you water down..... pellets or alfalfa grass...? It is winter here.... don't want any water in my chicken run.... My husbands purchased a bale of chopped alfalfa... wondering about throwing it into the run for them to scratch and eat?
 
GGsHens said:
is your alfalfa that you water down..... pellets or alfalfa grass...? It is winter here.... don't want any water in my chicken run.... My husbands purchased a bale of chopped alfalfa... wondering about throwing it into the run for them to scratch and eat?
Click to expand...
This is a very old thread. The person you questioned hasn't been here since 2013.
You'd probably be better off starting a new one. Good luck! I hope someone can answer your question.
 

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