Anyone grow ornamental sunflowers for food?

[elf]

I bought a variety of types of sunflower seeds that I thought I would plant to look pretty and give the chickens some food later. Tryed buying some black sunflower seeds in the birdseed aisle to try out on them. They didn"t eat them though they were small. Mixed some in with some other snacks, and I think they were eventually eaten or scattered. Since these other seeds will probably be plumper and perhaps harder shelled, will they need to be cracked in a mill in order for them to be able to eat them? Has anyone had success with growing these ornamental varieties for food? Can I just store the dried heads in a garbage bin?

 

[Frza]

I hope this thread gets some replies, I have been wondering the same thing.
I bought a bag of dried corn cobs for my birds but they couldn't eat them. The kernels are way too hard for their beaks to crack. Turned them into squirrel snacks. I considered giving the hens shelled sunflowers seeds but they don't seem as fun to eat...

 

[ji]

Hello,
It is surprising to me to hear that your chickens didn't eat the black sunflower seeds - but then these are chickens. One thing I am learning is that what one flock eats another may not - I don't know why. The reason I responded here is to tell you that MY flock LOVES those black sunflower seeds that are sold for bird seed.
It is their favorite treat - they go nuts for them. Shell and all.
They are highly nutritious - a bit expensive , but I justify it that is a high quality treat vs something like cooked spaghetti - which my chickens also love , but it is not healthy for them (boy do they go beserk though and run around with noodles dangleing from their beaks - it is entertaining once in while)
I plan on raising some kind of sunflower plants for them in my garden. My birds seem to eat almost anything. I have Silver-laced Wyandottes. I don't know how much breed influences their taste for food , but one reason I selected this breed is that I read they are good foragers. I can vouch for that. They agressively hunt my half acre for bugs, worms, grass and weeds. They LOVE curly dock - also quite nutritious.

 

[elf]

Good to know about the dock. It's a good herb-weed to leave growing. I have one by my door and crush up a leaf to apply to any bug/bee stings. Clip back when huge & ratty. Back to sunflowers, there's a good thread on sister site, Easygardening.

 

[peepacheep]

The first few times I gave my chickens BOSS they barely touched it. It took shelling a few seeds for a couple of hens before everyone figured out that BOSS was food. I grew a number of different sunflowers last summer, the variety, 'Kong' was their favorite, huge leaves for greens, one big main flower and a dozen small small side flowers. Planning on planting a lot more sunflowers this year!

 

[Break an Egg]

When we moved in there was a small wild sunflower plant that we didn't mow down, then next spring there were a few more, now there is a 6ft by 3 foot patch in the middle of our yard that is nothing but 2 ft tall wild sunflowers and this is after we mowed down most of it to get the 6ftx3ft shape. We are hoping there will be lots of chicken snacks.

 

[flockof4]

I grew a variety called sunseed and my girls love them. They have black seeds and have one large seed head.