Feeding chickens

[janis1127]

My chickens are not allowed out of their pen,as I am scared of something getting them. I feed them laying pellets and as a treat, mealworms mixed with scratch. Should I be giving them some type of greens?

 

[Pendragonz]

Just go around your yard/property pulling up handfuls of grass and weeds. Throw these in to the chickens. Mine go nuts over the greens they get this way. They spend most of their time in the 10'x12' coop.

 

[theoldchick]

How many chickens do you have? I'm a grass plucker, too and my hens enjoy the snack. If you have a small flock you can grow greens for them---I've had luck growing Kale as the wild deer don't seem to eat it. You can also vary the diet by occasionally adding left over food that is NOT spoiled.









Good luck and enjoy your chickens!

 

[appps]

Just don't give them long grass you have pulled out yourself. Having had compacted crop in a chicken that required surgery twice, and both times finding a big ball of undigested long grass being the cause I only Let mine graze on mown length now.

I tie greens up in a bunch and hang them so they have to peck bits off rather than gobbling large bits down whole.

You can also set up a grass patch in the run. Make a narrow raised edge bed and sow greens in it. Then cover with chicken wire so they can only peck at the bits grow above the wire and not eat it down to the ground or scratch it out. Don't make the bed too wide as the wire can bow with their weight over time if it is.

I have a wire run (was actually supposed to be 2 X a wire panel compost bin) that I set up at their door as well. If I'm out in the garden I upen their gate and let them out in that with some bird netting over the top to keep them in and the Hawks out. Because it's panels it folds away when I'm not using it.

 

[chickens really]

I feed mine Purple Cabbage and Romain Lettuce...Pumpkins are great...Also squash...Peas..
Check out the Chicken Chick.....Great site to read....

 

[Vickie 51]

Mine get freshly mown grass and pulled up friendly weeds. They also enjoy fresh herbs from the garden such as mint, oregano, parsley, basil, thyme and dill as well as lettuces. They enjoy things like marigold flowers or geraniums. Other fruits and veggies such as zucchini, carrot peels, cucumber peels and the cucumber itself, berries, cantaloupe, watermelon, pumpkins, sunflower seeds help round out their meals. They are also crazy about my meatloaf!

 

[janis1127]

Just go around your yard/property pulling up handfuls of grass and weeds. Throw these in to the chickens. Mine go nuts over the greens they get this way. They spend most of their time in the 10'x12' coop.

 

[janis1127]

I have just six chickens so far. I did go around gathering them up grass and they were super excited!!