Alfalfa for chickens

[TheBigWRanch]

I've been told that it is good to feed alfalfa forage to chickens that are kept in pens. I've looked all over town for alfalfa forage, and have been unable to find any. Would it be OK to give them rabbit alfalfa pellets?

 

[SandraChick]

there's mixed results with feeding chickens alphalph....some have reported problems with impacted crop.

I have heard of people using bunny alphalpha pellets- but they soaked them first. ALso...use it like a treat. Don't over feed it to them.

good luck
Sandra

 

[allen wranch]

I throw a piece of alfalfa hay in the coop every few weeks or so. So far the birds have only eaten the leaves and left the straw. I have seen a difference in the yoke color since using the alfalfa. It is a much deeper orange.

I tried alfalfa cattle cubes thinking it would give them something to peck at and amuse themselves in additon to the nutrition, but they wouldn't touch them. Same thing with the little pellets the size of layer feed.

 

[kstaven]

A bit of Alfalfa and red clover hay does wonders for the chickens vitality in the winter. Their moults are not as severe and they never totally quit laying during the winter. Cubes will expand when they get wet. So feeding dry cubes is a risk.

 

[TheBigWRanch]

What will happen if I feed dry rabbit pellets, will it expand and cause problems too?

 

[CarriBrown]

They will probably expand, too. I'll take a small pitch fork full of the the leafy stuff that is on the floor of the haybarn and throw it to the chickens. They like to peck and strach in it... but I don't do that often since alfalfa is a hot feed.

 

[cresty]

I sprout alfalfa. Would they like that??

Cresty

 

[kstaven]

Mine love sprouts. I do alfalfa and clover etc.. in big trays in the winter also.

I would take the rabbit pellets in a little water to see if they puff drastically. If they don't then you will be fine.

 

[TheBigWRanch]

OK I put them in water, and so far they do not look like they have puffed at all, they're just mushy. When I was a child I feed my chickens dry alfalfa pellets, and never had a problem, but I wanted to make sure there wasn't some reason why I shouldn't before I did it again.

 

[Barnyard Dawg]

Quote:
When you refer to red clover hay is this red clover and hay mixed together?