feeding sprouts, grass alternative?

[bluefeather2697]

hi guys. i have chickens in an enclosed run. they barely have grass to eat and they just don't eat lettuce and other greens.

so im planning to imitate grass by sprouting oats and other grains i can try.
do u think this will work?

here is an example (not my pic). after they have grown this far. im planning to put them in the run.

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[TexasLea]

It will work! Just be sure they can't tip over whatever you plant in. After my girls promptly eliminated anything green growing in their run I sorta did the same thing. I used an old square plant flat from a nursery and lined the bottom with a piece of cardboard to hold the dirt in. Then we planted a handful of basic birdseed. It sprouted and when it was decent size we put it in the run. It was demolished in no time! I've done it again a few times for them, as well as pulling weeds from the yard and throwing them in there.

 

[bluefeather2697]

birdseed? nice idea, i'll try that. thanks 4 ur response.

 

[janeken]

We are moving ours from a chicken tractor to a fixed pen my hubby built and was worried what would happen when they mowed the grass down to nothing, I might just try this...

 

[bluefeather2697]

well then, let's try.
i'll start sprouting oats for them.

good luck to us!

 

[TexasLea]

Be sure to post how your chickens like their homegrown treat. I looked to see if I had any pics on my computer of how I planted a mini garden for my girls before. Unfortunately, I think those must have been in some I lost when my computer gave up the ghost awhile back. I guess it's time to do it again so I have some pics to share!

 

[chickenboy107]

can i feed them crickets

 

[chicken curious]

I saw a great solution one time that I'll try to describe: the premise is to build a box with a hardware cloth top that they can walk on and eat the tops of the grasses, but not scratch up the plant...I saw it as a frame on the ground with cross bracing so the cloth will support their weight, but if your run has a surface other than dirt, you could put a bottom on the box (with a few drainage holes?) and you'd need to water it more. Anyway, this way you could pull the box out (heck, put it on locking wheels!) and let the grass grow back up through the hardware cloth again and then give the chickens access until they eat it down...repeat

 

[TexasLea]

That frame sounds like a great idea! I may have to try that one.

Chcikenboy- if you are asking regarding adults, then yes they can eat crickets. Tiny chicks wouldn't be able too, but any bird with proper access to the ground or grit would be able to eat them.

 

[chicken curious]

re: crickets

my 8 week old chicks break apart larger beetles and they tore apart a lizard so fast it was hard to see! They love grubs (~5wk on), but a neighbor tried to gift them some when they were ~1-2 weeks old and they played with them, but didn't actually eat them. So, I guess it depends on the age of your chickens and what they've been exposed to so far.