Chicken Food Tower

[Phaedra Geiermann]

Hey Phaedra, I am fairly certain chrysanthemums are toxic to chickens, so careful about those ones. My girls loved asters though, and strawberries of course.

Thanks for the information, I checked earlier about MUMs and seems they are okay for chickens. Would you please share where we can find more information about MUMs are toxic to chickens? Thanks again.

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

Thanks for the information, I checked earlier about MUMs and seems they are okay for chickens. Would you please share where we can find more information about MUMs are toxic to chickens? Thanks again.

actually upon further reading it seems that they are not as toxic to chickens as I thought they would be, given the toxicity for other animals. thanks, and I stand corrected! in small amounts though, of course.

 

[Gwynn]

I had been wondering about that. When seeds sprout, the tops usually try to grow up, which could be a problem if they are planted in the side of the tower. But I also know they usually grow toward light, so maybe that would be enough to help them grow out the side instead of going straight up and dying in the middle of the dirt.

Could you make a giant, rolled seed bomb, dry it, like rolled in plastic, the right size to slip into the wire cage?

 

[NatJ]

Could you make a giant, rolled seed bomb, dry it, like rolled in plastic, the right size to slip into the wire cage?

Yes, that might be a good way to get seeds into the side of the tower in later years, after it is already full of stuff.

 

[Pioneertown mama]

okay, i do keep working on it, many ideas, also find some old stuffs and give them new purposes, first, the roosting bar (it's something from previous house owner, i guess it's a part of broom?) The towers are quite stable as the materials inside is quite a lot and wet

View attachment 2752799
Then, added a roof (which is originally used last year for a temporary protection for tomatoes, but now we have a greenhouse.
View attachment 2752801

okay, veggies and grass planted, and girls have now a place to hang out when it rains , and leads the rain water going to the planting towers at two sides.
View attachment 2752802

I will keep updating this one, really excited! Earlier this year I mixed wild flower seeds with compost and created several wild flower boarders, which are awesome. Now I can't wait to see how a food tower can look like!

If this works, it will be a great discovery. Please keep us up dated. Because I will make one too

 

[FoxySonia]

07.10 update

To further strengthen the towers, I added 4 such ground anchors to fix the wire on the ground.
View attachment 2753991

And then put the dried chive flowers directly into the compost, they are dried indoors for about 10 days, fully matured, seeds are all ready. Last year I did the same, put the entire dried flowers into soil, and the result is totally satisfying.
View attachment 2753992
Some are inserted from the side
View attachment 2753996
And some are put like this way, and covered with compost again.
View attachment 2753997

I wouldn't let chickens eat onions or chives. Chives contain the same hazardous compounds in onions and other Allium plants that are toxic to chickens because they disrupt red blood cells and can cause Heinz body anemia.

 

[Cazziep]

So happy to see them enjoy!

Lovely, chickens are the best. Strawberries would grow on the sides as low down as you want to go

 

[CherieBuijk]

okay, i do keep working on it, many ideas, also find some old stuffs and give them new purposes, first, the roosting bar (it's something from previous house owner, i guess it's a part of broom?) The towers are quite stable as the materials inside is quite a lot and wet

View attachment 2752799
Then, added a roof (which is originally used last year for a temporary protection for tomatoes, but now we have a greenhouse.
View attachment 2752801

okay, veggies and grass planted, and girls have now a place to hang out when it rains , and leads the rain water going to the planting towers at two sides.
View attachment 2752802

I will keep updating this one, really excited! Earlier this year I mixed wild flower seeds with compost and created several wild flower boarders, which are awesome. Now I can't wait to see how a food tower can look like!

This is a great idea!! We’re experimenting with eliminating gluten and legumes from our diet. This will help is change what our chickens are eating (versus packaged feed) so that their eggs will be OK for us to eat.

 

[NatJ]

This is a great idea!! We’re experimenting with eliminating gluten and legumes from our diet. This will help is change what our chickens are eating (versus packaged feed) so that their eggs will be OK for us to eat.

Eggs should be gluten free no matter what the hens eat. Of course if the chicken feed has gluten, and you get feed dust on the eggs, that could put some gluten on the outside of their shells-- but washing the eggs would fix that.

All legumes? Legumes are a major source of protein in most chicken feeds. If you want to eliminate legumes from their diet, you should plan to give the chickens a lot of protein from other sources (meat, fish, insects, etc.)

 

[Phaedra Geiermann]

I wouldn't let chickens eat onions or chives. Chives contain the same hazardous compounds in onions and other Allium plants that are toxic to chickens because they disrupt red blood cells and can cause Heinz body anemia.

If so, just avoid them.

Heinz body anemia is more likely to occur when a significant portion of the daily diet consists of plants like onions or chives that contain thiosulfates.

Our chickens have a pretty balance diet based on the commercial feed and access to diverse supplements from the garden.