Can Chickens Eat Alfalfa Hay?

[Cheryl1948]

I feed my chickens greens because they do not free range. Are radish greens ok for them?

 

[KuroKitsune]

about a month ago i bought 6 bales of 3rd cut alfalfa for my chickens so they could have green stuff to eat since its winter and they dont seem fond of alfalfa pellets(though i will try soaking them next time) and all my chicken large fowl and bantam love the alfalfa hay...they leave the tough stems but eat all the rest.


i dont give it to them everyday but they do get it often

 

[BugGuy]

I buy 40 or so square bales of hay to feed to the girls throughout the winter. They love the leaves and flowers and the added bedding doesn't hurt either. They get a 3 inch section of bale every evening and by morning it's all gone but the stems. It seems to keep them from pecking eachother a bit and there seems to be no adverse affects from it, so I'll keep this up.

 

[ThisishowIroll]

We had a straw shortage around here so I ended up with a more expensive bale of alfalfa instead for my chicks, to deep bed the coop and line my garden. After they were old enough for a straw/hay bedding that's what I've been using and they do as others have mentioned: pick at the leaves and leave the straws. They're about 4 weeks now and just getting to like treats and seem to have taken to picking at the leaves more vigorously. After reading this I'm a little nervous it could hurt them, but we're in for a penny in for a pound at this point so I'll report back if I notice any problems with them getting crop bound.

 

[chickensfinally]

I feed my chickens greens because they do not free range.  Are radish greens ok for them?

Cheryl, you've probably found the answer to this since it has been 4 months, but I think they are fine for them. There are two really good threads to find out "what chickens shouldn't have" and the other is what are their "fave treats" I'm not savvy enough yet to just give you the links, sorry. But check this forum's main page and you will find both listed relatively recently.

HTH, Carrie

 

[devilclawz]

Fresh cut green alfalfa probably not a good idea I guess. A day or 2 here and it will be dry. I can go get all I want from the side of the hiway. Just need to let it dry first.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

PLEASE, to those feeding hay - any type - to chickens: be very, very careful, as they can become cropbound when eating hay. I lost a pullet that had eaten too much hay; it got all balled up in her crop...it was awful.

I would think the soaking of alfalfa cubes would be better than just straight flakes, as it's chopped into smaller pieces. Yep, they love it...but it often does not love them back.

In my experience chickens don't much like dried legumes like alfalfa pellets, that is if they already have plentiful fresh greens (like clover) growing in a true free range setting. However if you grind up and soak a 2X4 long enough, a chicken will happily eat it. So let your cows soak your alfalfa first and your chickens will fight each other to be Johnnie on the spot when Elsie the cow serves up a new helping of moist alfalfa.

 

[MoGG]

Just reading these posts....on another site someone said not to feed alfalfa because it gives the eggs an odd, kinda fishy taste....any body know about this. I just received some alfalfa and they seem to like it, but I sell my eggs and don't want to lose my customers...

 

[Percheron chick]

Alfalfa will not make the eggs fishy. Mine clean up the fines (leaf shatters) every day that the horses drop. It will improve yolk color plus it can boost Ca and protein.

 

[vtcath]

I picked up a small bag of chopped alfalfa hay at Tractor Supply, that they sell for rabbits. The bag cautioned feeding too much due to the added calcium being bad for their bladders. It sounds like this should not be a problem for our 7 month old hens.
I might stay with chopped alphalfa though, I worry about croup compaction.
Cathy