Can I give them rhubarb?

[Kilm]

I've read websites that say don't give them rhubarb. I've read websites that say do give them rhubarb.

I'm happy that they DO NOT get the leaves or the base of the stalk, but a nice, red stalk of rhubarb seems to have a split vote.

I've given them two stalks over the course of last week from my patch and they loved it. I just wanted to check if anyone knows the definitive answer before I inadvertently make them very sick!

Thanks!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Yes they can, in moderation. Like many cruciferous veggies, rhubarb is high in oxalic acids, which can be problematic in quantity. How much is too much is impossible to say - but if your birds have a nutritionally complete feed available, they won't eat enough rhubarb to be concerning - particularly if you mean you have a little bit as kitchen scraps, and not "I planted 50 sq ft of rhubarb this year and discovered I hate it, so I'm going to give it all to the chickens this week..." If your birds don't have a complete feed, or you tractor them into a field of rhubarb as their greens for the day, you will likely yave problems.

 

[Kilm]

Yes they can, in moderation. Like many cruciferous veggies, rhubarb is high in oxalic acids, which can be problematic in quantity. How much is too much is impossible to say - but if your birds have a nutritionally complete feed available, they won't eat enough rhubarb to be concerning - particularly if you mean you have a little bit as kitchen scraps, and not "I planted 50 sq ft of rhubarb this year and discovered I hate it, so I'm going to give it all to the chickens this week..." If your birds don't have a complete feed, or you tractor them into a field of rhubarb as their greens for the day, you will likely yave problems.

I think I'm feeding them right. The protein pellets (tubs full of it, the odd handful on the ground), some corn as a treat, oyster grit, any fresh veggies going spare (they love lettuce) and the odd length of rhubarb from my garden. They've eaten most of the raspberry bush which had the misfortune to be too close to the fence!

They're laying (two out of three anyway, the third one hasn't said for months according to the friend I got them from) one egg a day which taste amazing and they seem happy enough. Their poo seems fairly solid, not runny.

It's scorching hot so I've made them a pellet soup with lots of ice cold water which they've been wolfing down.

I think it's okay so far?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Keep the corn quantity low (less than 10% of their daily intake by weight) - it diminishes the feed value of everything else they eat. Corn is popular in feed because its cheap, it provides ready energy (which your birds need), and because it is low in every single important metric against which feed is measured, but its not "so low" that its inadequacies can't be addressed with small amounts of more expensive, more nutrient dense, ingredients. Sort of like if you were to stretch your budget by adding a serving of boiled, peeled, unenriched potatoes to every single meal. [I'm being a little harsh to potatoes in this example, but it should get you in the right frame of mind at least]

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I've read websites that say don't give them rhubarb. I've read websites that say do give them rhubarb.

I'm happy that they DO NOT get the leaves or the base of the stalk, but a nice, red stalk of rhubarb seems to have a split vote.

I've given them two stalks over the course of last week from my patch and they loved it. I just wanted to check if anyone knows the definitive answer before I inadvertently make them very sick!

Thanks!

Good morning and welcome to BYC!

I trust the info given in this resource (in line with other research I've done on the topic).. which states stalk are safe.

https://mranimalfarm.com/can-chickens-eat-rhubarb/

I think I'm feeding them right. The protein pellets (tubs full of it,

What is protein pellets? How much protein, is it a complete poultry feed or have a guaranteed analysis? Are you in the US?

Drinking excess water during the heat spells can cause (short term) diarrhea since that's how the urates are expelled also.

They're laying (two out of three anyway, the third one hasn't said for months according to the friend I got them from)

Maybe start another thread, and include her age and any behavior seen, plus post pics if possible.. Let us help determine if the non laying gal needs something more, if she;s molting, has internal issues, or if it's just a genetic anomaly (I've had a few hatchery birds quit laying for NO reason other than genetics. Sometimes they start back laying after a year or two!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

and I trust @EggSighted4Life as a source. Good advice above on potential issues I didn't catch in the first read.

More coffee for me! Need desperately.

 

[Kilm]

Good morning and welcome to BYC!

I trust the info given in this resource (in line with other research I've done on the topic).. which states stalk are safe.

https://mranimalfarm.com/can-chickens-eat-rhubarb/


What is protein pellets? How much protein, is it a complete poultry feed or have a guaranteed analysis? Are you in the US?

Drinking excess water during the heat spells can cause (short term) diarrhea since that's how the urates are expelled also.


Maybe start another thread, and include her age and any behavior seen, plus post pics if possible.. Let us help determine if the non laying gal needs something more, if she;s molting, has internal issues, or if it's just a genetic anomaly (I've had a few hatchery birds quit laying for NO reason other than genetics. Sometimes they start back laying after a year or two!

Thanks, started another thread as suggested!

The feed comes from a poultry farm nearby, so it's the 'proper' stuff as far as I'm aware.

I don't want to duplicate though, so will keep that food chat to the other thread. Thank you!

 

[Kilm]

So it turns out chickens aren't as smart as I may have thought. I was aware that they shouldn't eat the rhubarb leaves or = death, so I watched them for a few days. They'd happily nestle under the leaves, eat some of the ripe stalk and generally not touch the leaves.

I also noticed several other plants they wouldn't eat. From this, I presumed nature had built into them 'bad stuff' radar.

Jump forward a couple of weeks and I've just looked out to see that one of them (the non layers) has eaten four huge leaves in the space of 30 minutes. I've ripped out the entire patch, which is a shame as it's always a huge harvest.

I don't know why the NL suddenly decided to go for it, but I see the stalk is to the bone, so I wonder if it just kept going and got a taste for it.

RIP.

 

[Badger Farm]

Was gifted a bunch of Rhubarb this week. I’ll chop up a half stalk and see how the girls like it.