Best greens for chickens in the winter?

[hereorthere]

Never use spinach to Birds it blocks the body from absorbing calcium..I give Alfalfa hay to scratch through..Broccoli, mixed veggies thawed..Peas...I do not give my Chickens much other than their feed..They still come out and find green grass under the snow..

Really? Wow! Did not know that.... but does this also include the entire vegetable family that it falls into? Which would include kale or swiss chard, because those I give just as freely to my ducks. I've been playing around with the idea of growing amaranth for my ducks and chickens to nosh on next spring/summer.

 

[hereorthere]

I've given them raw pumpkin too, and they do it eat it, but they do prefer baked pumpkin, squash and sweet potatoes.

I've thrown chicken scratch onto the raw pumpkins or butternut to encourage them to eat it.....I actually grow extra butternut just for feeding the spoiled lil' buggers. Keeps very well thru much of the winter in a dry cooler area.

 

[chickens really]

Really? Wow! Did not know that.... but does this also include the entire vegetable family that it falls into? Which would include kale or swiss chard, because those I give just as freely to my ducks. I've been playing around with the idea of growing amaranth for my ducks and chickens to nosh on next spring/summer.

I am not sure?...I do not feed any of them...I use romain lettuce...Purple cabbage...Oops were talking Chickens here, not Ducks...Lol...My Chickens do not get the romain lettuce..They do get purple cabbage every couple of months..I limit treats for the Chickens...

 

[Crooked Chicken]

I also feed spinach and the other dark leafy greens. But all in moderation. As long as you are providing them with a complete feed they do not need a lot of supplementary foods. Think of it as a treat and small amounts and you will have no worry of throwing their diet out of whack. Lettuce is, for the most part, water, and does not provide much in the way of nutrition.

 

[nminusyplusm]

Really? Wow! Did not know that.... but does this also include the entire vegetable family that it falls into? Which would include kale or swiss chard, because those I give just as freely to my ducks. I've been playing around with the idea of growing amaranth for my ducks and chickens to nosh on next spring/summer.

I think the oxalic acid in brassicas, spinach, sorrel and some other vegetables and plants binds with calcium making it not bioavailable and can cause kidney stones (at least in humans) if eaten in great quantities. But given that treats shouldn't be more than 10% of their diet, I think it would be hard to give them enough to have bad effects. I mean, I wouldn't eat 20lbs of kale a day either. It's fine to toss in handfuls, along with other things, for a varied diet.
ETA: Keep in mind all of those vegetables are also very nutritious and beneficial too as long as we and chickens don't OD on them.

 

[Percheron chick]

Like the shredded bail?

I have no clue what you are referring to. Cubes? 2"x2" compressed hay commonly sold in 50# bags? No. Just regular small bales that average 50-60#. Decent amount of leaf and small fine stems. Cubes tend to be made out of mature inferior hay that just doesn't have the eye appeal to be sold in baled form. It will have very little leaf and you will pay about 50% more.

 

[greggooo]

I have no clue what you are referring to. Cubes? 2"x2" compressed hay commonly sold in 50# bags? No. Just regular small bales that average 50-60#. Decent amount of leaf and small fine stems. Cubes tend to be made out of mature inferior hay that just doesn't have the eye appeal to be sold in baled form. It will have very little leaf and you will pay about 50% more.

Where do you get yours? I bought one at Tractor supply and it was the compressed bale that didn't look like that. That looks much greener and leafier.

 

[chickens really]

Get an Alfalfa bale from a farmer that makes hay for livestock..

 

[Percheron chick]

Where do you get yours? I bought one at Tractor supply and it was the compressed bale that didn't look like that. That looks much greener and leafier.

Feed stores love compressed bales because they can store the same amount of hay in 2/3 the space. Cheaper to transport and better for customers who can only transport one or two at a time. The difference you are seeing can be as simple as the farmers harvesting practices and then compounded by the fact that compressed bales are baled twice. It's baled in large bales than brought up to the 2nd baler, fed into that one and out kicks the small bale. Every time you manipulate cut hay (raking or rebaling) you create leaf shatter losing more leaf plus making the hay dustier.
That hay was bought at a hay auction believe it or not. My area grows a lot of dairy alfalfa. If the hay doesn't test out high enough it often ends up "dumped" at the hay sales.

 

[Labradors]

Perpetual Spinach is actually a beet, so perhaps it's ok to feed?????

Linda