Confused about difference between blades of grass being bad but weeds not?

[mimischicksnat]

I've done the search on how their crops can be impacted with blades of grass but weeds seem to be ok for them?

I can't wrap my head around how giving them dandelion weeds is ok but stay away from blades of grass....

Aren't dandelion and other weeds bigger than grass?

Mine aren't home yet and I want to feed them the right stuff when they do come home. Their yard is filled with dandelions.

 

[Blooie]

I've done the search on how their crops can be impacted with blades of grass but weeds seem to be ok for them?

I can't wrap my head around how giving them dandelion weeds is ok but stay away from blades of grass....

Aren't dandelion and other weeds bigger than grass?

Mine aren't home yet and I want to feed them the right stuff when they do come home. Their yard is filled with dandelions.

It's because blades of grass are smaller that they can get into trouble. That said, mine seem to graze pretty well on anything green! I wondered about that too, so I did a totally UNscientific 'speriment, which I'll share. Pluck a blade of grass, and very lightly run your fingertips along it....then do the same with a dandelion (or dan-di-lian, as my little granddaughter says). Notice any difference? The blade of grass is rough, like there are lots of minute stickers on it or something. If you lightly rub two blades of grass together you can feel the abrasiveness as they kinda cling to each other. A chicken who eats too much of it runs the risk of those little rough edges "hooking up", kinda like Velcro. That makes it hard for the grit in the gizzard to grind it effectively because it all sorta sticks together. Dandelions are smooth and have larger leaves. So instead of chucking them down whole, like they do long grass blades, they tend to take bites out of them. That makes the pieces going in smaller and since they are smooth they don't Velcro into a mat. They can dine leisurely on one dandelion leaf for quite awhile, bite by bite.

That's why, in my opinion, broadleaf plants are easier for them to digest. Now I repeat, I am not an expert - but I was looking for the same answer that you are, and when I need an answer I tend to research what's already been figured out first, then go out and try whatever it is and find out why.

 

[mimischicksnat]

Thanks Blooie!

Their yard used to be my garden. I had about 4 years straight bad luck with successfully growing anything despite my best efforts to keep the deer and other wildlife out. I haven't fenced it yet, but will soon. Have to get the coop first.

These pictures show where they will run. The old coop will be used as storage for now. When chicken math strikes again it may get fixed up and used for what it was intended to be used for!

 

[ChickenLegs13]

Grass *clippings* is what can cause problems. When a chicken eats live grass he pecks off bite size pieces, but when he eats clippings he has no resistance to pull against to break it into small pieces. He swallows the whole blade instead, which can wad up in his crop causing impaction.

 

[annelions]

If you mow at all (which you may or may not have to do with chickens), you can leave the clippings where they fall. If they're scattered about, the chickens don't seem to care about eating them. There are tastier things, such as all the bugs you scared up while mowing! At least, that's what my chickens think.

 

[mimischicksnat]

Thanks all! I won't mow in their yard, and I will try to have hubs mow with the clippings shooting the opposite direction so less will end up in their yard.

I've got a small flat of greens growing and am hoping to make fodder too to entice them for better pickings.