Can chicken eat mint , if planted around a run??

[rirluvr]

@ Jody

yeah, I had that same thought. Mint flavored eggs. But since my girls have not started laying yet I will have to wait and see. As soon as I let them out they run to the mint patch. Someone commented on how the eggs tend to take on the flavor of what the chickens eat so I figured my eggs will be minty. I wake up every morning hoping to find an egg or two but no such luck yet. I will be sure to post what my findings are as soon as they lay.

I saw at sprouts farmers market that they sell eggs with omega 3s.. .. I just don't trust fishy eggs.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Mine don't like any strong herb. They won't touch basil or cilantro. Herb wise, they LOVE chives and parsley.

They do go CRAZY for clover. I have some outside the run, and they go straight for it when I supervise free range time. (due to hawks)

I'm going to be planting rye in my run. It's great nourishment for the soil and the chickens will love it. ETA: it's cheap too, so if the chickens eat a lot of the seeds, no big deal.

 

[rirluvr]

Mint works out just fine for me. I am growing some cilantro and was hoping the chickens would not like it as much as mint and sure enough when I offered some cilantro they turned their beaks at it. More cilantro for me! has anyone here planted "proso"? My chicken catalog says it is a great , cheap thing to plant and nutritious for chickens.

 

[sillyaboutchickens]

Interesting. I have tons of mint growing in the perennial beds and it certainly spreads easily. I would not have thought of planting it around the coop. I thought chives and green onions were dangerous for chickens to eat.

 

[claud]

Well, I'm not sure about mint but I know that catnip is one of few weeds that grows untouched in my run.

 

[digitS']

. . . catnip is one of few weeds that grows untouched in my run.

. . . another plant in the mint family that's in my yard and goes uneaten by the hens. It doesn't seem to take the abuse from the scratching as well as mint, however.

. . . has anyone here planted "proso"? My chicken catalog says it is a great , cheap thing to plant and nutritious for chickens.

I have grown foxtail millet in my garden for a half dozen years or more. There's proso, pearl, foxtail and a few other millets. Why don't you start a thread on millets,m rirluvr, and see what experience people have had with these?

Steve​

 

[magentamomma]

My chickens ate all my chocolate mint, and i didn't notice a bad poo smell.I guess all chooks are different.

 

[alicefelldown]

I planted a salad garden right up against the run specifically for the girls. They leave me plenty!

They don't touch the mint or the basil though. Lavender intrigues them, like they are on the fence if they like it or not.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
If you chop up the tops of garlic into small pieces, it's a natural dewormer. It's not at all dangerous for them, but if you feed too much of it, it can affect the taste of your eggs. (same with fish)

Pumpkin seeds are also a great dewormer.

 

[ivan3]

We have Chocolate/spearmint/French Ruffled (nasty stuff) mints planted in the drainages and around the pond. The chooks and turks ignore it. However, another member of the family (Lavender Hyssop), does get munched on occasion (crush the leaf/flower very strong anise - used to be widely used for sachet/tea/flavoring). We have it planted on the low side of the fire pit where a lot of scraping/dirt bathing is indulged in. They will also pick at the Salvias in the area. The turkey hens eat wild chive with gusto, pick `em up and they smell like they've been stuffed with onion.

Don't expect to keep any fancy clovers around (vetch will survive) and never, never, put the Fuschia Princess on the back deck (chickens think it is steak).

Fearless Leader eyeing the Hyssop:

Everything we've planted around the runs will be picked at - just because it is there.