What would you put in your garden for poultry?

[BReeder!]

safe in the compost.

Almost everything goes in the compost here...

 

[igorsMistress]

Almost everything goes in the compost here...

I have a compost pile that's just a big pile of stuff from my yard, all the chicken poop I rake up and some of the litter from my coop once a year or so. Usually I'll toss weeds and spent plants and such in there too but the chickens eat a lot of it when they're out there making a mess...er, stirring things up to help me out. Anything they shouldn't have but can be composted goes into tumblers. Coffee grounds, avocado skin and pits, moldy bread...

 

[Urbanbird1]

I've just discovered a huge patch of Veronica h. / Aka ivy leaf speedwell at the edge of the the land behind me (undeveloped state land). Looks like it is a freebie crop!

I was searching for Veronica speedwell and came across this post. Is this safe for chickens to eat? We have a lot of it. Thanks!

 

[ErnieBerley]

BAMBOO !!! bamboo leaves are great for chickens and they really like them - high in nutrients and fiber, bamboo leaves are reported in scientific studies in Asia to increase growth rate and health of chickens vs conventional foods. Check it out !!!!

 

[BReeder!]

BAMBOO !!! bamboo leaves are great for chickens and they really like them - high in nutrients and fiber, bamboo leaves are reported in scientific studies in Asia to increase growth rate and health of chickens vs conventional foods. Check it out !!!!

That's great for people with invasive bamboo trying to take over their property. Cut it down and let the chickens at it.
I don't grow bamboo though. I'm in zone 5 and have only 1/3 acre so I really don't need a patch of bamboo trying to spread around. Their are varieties that are not invasive and will grow here, but they are not easy to source at a reasonable price.

 

[alwaysthere4chickens]

If no one has mentioned this, I say you should try sunflowers!

 

[ErnieBerley]

my chickens also love wisteria leaves... they will jump up in the summer to gather leaves off the vines. i had no idea they would like this plant, but they really do..! and wisteria is used in Chinese Medicine - immune support - it's also in that product "Airborne"

 

[333113]

You don't need to buy from a nursery. Buy an organic sweet potato from the supermarket, submerge it halfway in a glass of water, in a few short weeks you break off the slips/sprouts and plant them. You'll have enough sweet potatoes to feed your family for months from just one sweet potato. Just make sure the one you buy is organic. You can grow them in large pots if your ground has too much clay. I've also grown them in straw bales and they've done well.

I raise sweet potatoes every year this way. I pick out exotic ones, too, like the reds and purples and whites. I grow them next to the pens, and the chickens and ducks keep the leaves inside of the pen "trimmed" while the outside parts provide shade.

I start my peas along the same pens in the spring, and the peas are done by the time the sweet potatoes need the room to grow.

 

[Stephanie8806]

We currently have chickens (8), turkeys (2), ducks (4) and quail (lots!). Although it's the dead of winter here in Illinois this time of year, Spring is not very far off. We will be prepping the garden in late March and starting to plant in mid/late April. We like to grow all sorts of vegetables, leafy greens and herbs. If I can keep the weeds down this year, we could be eating form the garden from late Summer to the start of winter, and possible longer if we have a surplus to can or freeze for the winter months. After all, our garden is ~1000 sqft (and I may decide to move the fence and till over more soil this year...). While the garden will hopefully feed us well, we'd like it to also supplement the feed for our poultry friends this year. What should we plant in the garden that chickens can eat?

So far here's the list of likely plants for the garden this year [and my thoughts on whether or not each is chicken friendly]:

Root vegetables:
- potatoes (2-3 varieties) [not for chickens]
- carrots [CHICKEN FRIENDLY]

Vegetables
- tomatoes (3-4 varieties) [not for chickens] I know they're fruit...
- hot peppers (2-3 varieties) [CHICKEN FRIENDLY]
- sweet peppers [CHICKEN FRIENDLY]
- sweet corn [CHICKEN FRIENDLY]
- pumpkins [CHICKEN FRIENDLY]
- zucchini [CHICKEN FRIENDLY]
- yellow squash [CHICKEN FRIENDLY]
- cucumbers (pickle and salad varieties) [CHICKEN FRIENDLY]
- winter squash (mixed variety) [CHICKEN FRIENDLY]
- cauliflower [CHICKEN FRIENDLY]

Leafy Greens and Herbs
- lettuce (2-3 varieties) [CHICKEN FRIENDLY]
- spinach [CHICKEN FRIENDLY]
- kale [CHICKEN FRIENDLY]
- parsley [CHICKEN FRIENDLY]
- oregano [CHICKEN FRIENDLY]
- basil [CHICKEN FRIENDLY]
- thyme [CHICKEN FRIENDLY]
- rosemary [CHICKEN FRIENDLY]
- dill [CHICKEN FRIENDLY]

Most of what we intend to plant is safe for the chickens to eat. I'm wonder though, what plants are beneficial and should be added? It wouldn't hurt to have healthier, happier chickens. Please share your thoughts and opinions.

Cabbage!!! My chickens LOVE cabbage, and it can be grown before and after the general growing season because it is so cold hardy. The head itself makes a great “teatherball” type toy if you thread it and hang it in the run, but the large paddle leaves that spread out and help the plant gather sun are great as well! I hang them up in the run by their stems.

I also didn’t see broccoli or Brussel sprouts on your list. They are super cold hardy as well, but I usually opt to grow one or two plants of each through the summer, as they are aphid magnets. Once the plant is overrun, I cut it at ground level and take the whole thing up to the chickens. They probably won’t eat the heavy stalk, but they’ll eat everything else(leaves, florets, AND APHIDS). They don’t even care if they’ve bolted from summer heat. They eat the flowers right up too.

 

[Stephanie8806]

Cabbage!!! My chickens LOVE cabbage, and it can be grown before and after the general growing season because it is so cold hardy. The head itself makes a great “teatherball” type toy if you thread it and hang it in the run, but the large paddle leaves that spread out and help the plant gather sun are great as well! I hang them up in the run by their stems.

I also didn’t see broccoli or Brussel sprouts on your list. They are super cold hardy as well, but I usually opt to grow one or two plants of each through the summer, as they are aphid magnets. Once the plant is overrun, I cut it at ground level and take the whole thing up to the chickens. They probably won’t eat the heavy stalk, but they’ll eat everything else(leaves, florets, AND APHIDS). They don’t even care if they’ve bolted from summer heat. They eat the flowers right up too.

OH, and Nasturtiums are a great thing to plant up in the chickens area if you can keep them protected from the chickens while they grow.... putting a little cage around it should do the trick. The whole plant is edible, and known for growing well in poor quality soil.