Can I feed bagged Alfalfa

[Elite Silkies]

I am having a hard time finding Alfalfa square bales. Can I buy the bagged Alfalfa cubes and feed them that?

Do they have to have grass/hay, or is that just a treat.

I am also looking for straw, so if anyone knows where I can get that near the Durant, Oklahoma area, that would be great.

Thanks for all the help, Cammy

 

[txchickie]

Yep, alfalfa cubes are fine. Soak them to get them soft and they go crazy

I feed alfalfa all winter, just so they still get their greens.

Are you looking for wheat straw? That should be everywhere around your area. You can also use just plain ol grass hay for bedding.....I use that instead of straw.

 

[Judy]

Huh? Are we talking about feeding chickens?

 

[Elite Silkies]

Thank you txchickie. I'll go get some cubes tomorrow and will just get grass hay for the bedding instead of searching everywhere for straw.

 

[lilmouthy]

They've also got Alfalfa Pellets. My chickens aren't crazy about them though. I bought that bag of pellets for my Horse,and mixed some in when I went to feed my chickens...they all ate around the Alfalfa,then when there was nothing left,they finally ate the pellets.

 

[ladyj]

morning! if you have an Atwoods near you they have alfalfa in bales for like $10 and it goes a long way. my girls get excited when they see their blue bucket cause they kn ow that the treat is a coming.

 

[swtamour]

I've been feeding my chickens alfalfa pellets but I still don't see any difference in their eggs yet. How much alfalfa pellets ratio to feed with their layer feed to get my yolks bright orange?

 

[jhm47]

Alfalfa is OK to feed as an occasional treat, but to force your birds to eat it is counterproductive. Alfalfa has far too much non-digestable fiber in it to be considered a good feed source for birds. Yes, it has fairly high protein levels, and it does contain some other vitamins and minerals that the birds can use, but it is woefully low in energy. The birds need a concentrated form of energy (such as corn or some other high starch source) to grow, maintain their body weight, and produce eggs.

Feed alfalfa to your goats, sheep, cows, or horses. Their digestive systems are designed to eat grass and hay. Let the chickens eat layer feed. It's fully balanced for them to produce eggs efficiently.

 

[Cindy in PA]

Quote:
I don't think the OP is "forcing" them to eat the alfalfa pellets. Eating alfalfa is like eating grass, chickens do it. I don't know how much you have to feed. In the winter I fed about a quart of mositened cubes a day to 12 chickens. I threw it in the run & they scratch at it at will & always cleaned it up in an hour or two. As long as they have layer feed & grit all the time, I don't believe they can get too much alfalfa. Greens are healthy for chickens IMO.

 

[Elite Silkies]

Oh, I def. do not force them to eat anything they do not want.

I just thought that since they have no grass left in their run, that the alfalfa would be good for them.

I feed layer pellets, scratch, black oil sunflower seeds, a little bird seed for a treat. I cook them oatmeal and whatever scraps I have that they can eat, like noodles, tomatoes, cucumber, watermelon, etc.

I do have to grind up the scratch or they will not eat the corn in it. Maybe the corn is too big for them they are 18-20 weeks. Or they just do not like it, or they are just spoiled. So, I grind it up and add a little water or oatmeal and they will eat all of it.

I just thought maybe they needed some greens to balance their diet.

Thanks for all the help, I really appreciate everyone's thoughts and much needed information.

Have a blessed day. Thanks Cammy