Bananas

[countrygirl57]

How do you know the right amount of fruit or veggies to give hens. I cut up 5 or 6 bananas, & it's gone in a flash. (23 hens). I'm beginning to think they are eating machines.

, In one end & out the other.

 

[Siler]

You're exactly right! In one end and out the other. I would imagine that too many fruits for hens has the same reaction it does in humans in that too many can cause diarrhea. Bananas have a good amount of soluble fiber but what is good for humans isn't necessarily good for birds. So I wonder too what experience others have with this.

 

[Bookworm chick]

I've only given a banana as an occasional treat and just one at a time (for 10 bantams). I like them too much myself to give the chickens any. So far no problems but that's probably because they've only gotten this treat in moderation. They do love them though.

 

[Warthog]

Mine don't particularly like bananas, but the banana leaf they will kill for, rip it apart and eat in seconds, gone before you know it.

We are lucky to live in a climate where we can grow bananas, that said a few months ago the plants didn't have many leaves, so whether we will get any fruit this year remains to be seen.

 

[gritsar]

All things in moderation. My hens get an occasional banana, one or at the most two, maybe every other week. That's for 14 birds, 13 hens and a roo.
You want them to concentrate on their layer pellets and what they forage for, so as not to upset their body's nutrional balance. If it gets out of balance it will affect their laying.

 

[RockwaterFarm]

I try not to give too many treats at once. i have 24 chickens and i will only give them one banana if it looks too bad to eat for humans. the only time i give more is if I need to get rid of food before it spoils. Like i gave my chickens a loaf of bread a day this past week so it wouldn't spoil. also if you have left over p,b and j sandwiches mine love

them. i got a list of the foods chickens like off this website about a year and a half ago. i don't know if it's still here but it was really helpful.

 

[elmo]

Mine don't care for bananas, but a head of kale disappears before I can turn my back. I try to give dark, leafy greens or rich colored vegetables like pumpkin or sweet potato.

 

[PhilErvin]

Our grocery store has corn-on-the-cobb on sale this week, 3 for a dollar, so I bought 3 for us and 3 for my girls. I take it out and tie it to a cord hanging in the run. I pull the husk to expose the corn but I leave the husk attached. It's cool to watch them peck away while the cobb dances all around bumping into one hen then another. They eat the cobb clean then eat the husk.
I also buy a head of cabbage and tie it out in the run. They will eat it down to a nub.

 

[pride&joy]

We have lots of bananas trees and most of the time lots of bananas. Chickens get layer crumples in the feeders and free range in a fenced yard / goat pasture but get some sort of banana treat at least twice a week. Either in oatmeal or just pilled and laid out. I have seen this practice in the past with no negative effects?

 

[flgardengirl]

I am planting banana plants around my chicken runs this year. The bananas can soak up all the runoff water etc from the chickens' pen and they are non toxic to chickens.

Actually, there is one banana plant variety that is hardy to horitcultural zone 5, and zone 4 with good plant protection in the winter, the Basjoo variety of banana. The actual bananas are not edible but the plant gets huge and has a nice tropical look to it. http://www.logees.com/prodinfo.asp?number=R1974-4 Banana plants in general (even edible types of bananas) can be dug up and stored on thier sides in the garage or other frost free spot during the winter and planted out again in the spring. I know lots of people in cold climates that grow bananas and get fruit. Some varieties are better than others to get fruit in colder climates or to fruit in pots.

Hedychium coronarium/Butterfly Gingers are also hardy to about a zone 7 and non-toxic. I am planting several gingers as well and also cannas, figs and grapes around the pens this year.

http://www.floridata.com/ref/H/hedyc.cfm