cut grass?

[cindy leigh]

Our chix have a very large covered run, but it's all dirt and leaves (lots of bugs). We can't let them free range because of the predator problem.
Can I mow the lawn (It's organic) and give them grass clippings? We have lots of clover in our grass. I just don't want old grass to make them sick.
I know with my horse, horses can't have cut grass unless you give it to them immediately and then rake away anything uneaten within 30 min or so. Not sure how chickens GI systems deal with cut grass.
Thanks!

 

[Big Chicken Little]

You could give them a little and see how they like it but I would not keep it past one day as it tends to get moldy very quickly

 

[ODS-n-ENS FARM]

My DH & I are landscapers. We dump buckets of grass in the run for the girls. Not sure if they really eat any of it after the first day because they generally have it spread out. But they scratch at it looking for bugs for several days.

 

[freddy22]

yea i think they enjoy it....i have lime in my covered coop so my chickens are pretty limited and then i tried that putting grass clippings in it, and i put in piles.....they ate some, they rumaged through it for bugs and once it was old it had collected many chicken droppings so i scooped it out and threw it on the garden and have continued this for quite a while...

 

[cgmccary]

I used to put my grass clippings in the run. I no longer do this because I had a hen become crop bound after eating too much grass clippings.

I still give them grass, just not a whole bunch, as a "treat." What I give them, I tear or cut into very small pieces to avoid the crop binding issue.

 

[TexasVet]

Exactly! It depends on how long the clippings are. If the grass was relatively tall, the hen could end up crop bound. I always feed my chicks grass, but I generally grab a handful and snip it into tiny little pieces before giving it to them.

Very important that they have access to grit too, or they won't be able to digest it.

Kathy, Bellville TX
www.CountryChickens.com

 

[Little Chicky]

I haven't even bought chickens (yet!) but I wouldn't recommend it: cut grass has gas and other chemicals from the lawnmower mixed in with it. I know that you're not supposed to feed it to cows, horses, or goats.

 

[TillinWithMyPeeps]

Quote:
How would it get the chemicals in it?

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

We just threw some in the run today for the first time. After reading this I wish I hadn't! Hope my girls will be okay - I've seen it recommended as a treat on here many times.

 

[Equus5O]

The last time I mowed, the grass was still fairly short. I had mowed just a week before. I dumped a tub load into the run, and they seemed to have more fun scratching through it and picking at it. I hadn't done it before, because the grass had gotten tall between mowings. But, I think if it's still on the short side, it wouldn't be a problem.

And, I used to hand graze my horses on mown lawns all of the time. Most grasses and lawns, and some pastures, are mowed, and horses and other livestock do graze on them.