Anyone have chickens that love collard greens?

[rbruno]

My chickens love collard greens. They go after it like nothing else when I put some in their coop. My daughter and I planted a fall garden for her agriculture class at school. We have broccoli, kale, and collards. I threw some old broccoli from the summer that had sent off shoots when the weather cooled off in the fall and they liked that, but I would find pieces left over in the coop. They like the kale too, but they kind of scratch at it and I will find pieces here and there scattered around. But, when I throw the collards in, they almost fight over it and the next day all I have left in the coop is the stalk. They eat every last piece of the leaf. They have full access to layer feed so I know they are not starving. They just love collards. Next spring when my full garden goes in, I will see what else they will like. Has anyone had their free range chickens destroy their vegetable garden? I would like them to get in there and mulch up the garden, but I don't want them to devourer my plants. I don't think I would have a collard plant left if they got into the garden.
Rob

 

[LindsayRae]

They will eat everything! For some reason, I had this fairytale idea that chickens will only peck the bugs off your plants, and poop where you need that fertilizer! Totally wrong! They will mow through everything. I had to build a fence around my garden and put chicken wire over the plants not in garden. . .7 months later. . all out bushes are trimmed up to the tallest chickens plucking range!

Right now they have full access to my garden mulching and fertilizing it until next month, with my cole crops high off the ground in pots. They managed to get to one cabbage. . . Im leaving it there so they can still struggle to get the last leaves while all the others are safe!

I saw this really cool invention that may work for you.

It's so neat. If my garden was bigger- I would totally have this.

 

[cavemanrich]

Free range chickens will FINISH OF YOUR GARDEN 99.44% GUARANTEED. If they get a chance. Many here separate their gardens from their chickens with fencing. After harvest, they let their chickens into garden to finish it off , as well as provide natural fertilizer.
I never planted collard, but my chickens go for dill as much as yours go for collard greens. Plant some and see. I plant the dill in raised pots so chickens cant get to it. We eat the dill ourselves, but the stems, we chop up for the girls. The rest of the scene is like a SHARK FEEDING FRENZY

WISHING YOU BEST

 

[rbruno]

That chicken tunnel looks pretty cool. Almost like a tractor but he just moves the connecting tunnel around the yard. I wish I had the time to make all that. when my coop get finished, it will be much closer to my garden. I might see about making one of these for the future.

 

[StewyJewy]

I recently started buying old veg's from the produce stand dirt cheal.The man gave me 6 big boxs of collards,looking at them I was convinced my chickens are not going to eat them,but Og my God,they fought over them like it were a pile of worms! They left their corn and crumbles to eat the collards.I am so impressed.It must be very good for them and they know it.