fuzzi's Chicken Journal

[fuzzi]

Wish I liked kale, blech.

 

[NanaK]

Wish I liked kale, blech.

Same here. Just not my cup of tea.

 

[fuzzi]

I hope so too! I have about 30 collard plants and a few cabbage. The collards usually do okay. I went ahead and picked a bunch on Saturday. I sent some to my aunt, some for us and bucket of bottom leaves for the chickens.
They helped started helping themselves. They do love greens! DH had also just added a hill of leaves. They were happy about that too!
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2 more of the EE pullets have started to lay. The white EE I posted earlier is laying a light blue and another is laying green, I think. I've got to do some more stalking to verify.


Interesting, I wonder if that was a type of perennial tree collard (Brassica oleracea var. acephala)? I've only read about those. Never seen them growing. The collards I grow are biennial. They will grow through the winter and set seed in spring.

I see happy chickens!

Cabbage collards is what I buy at the local nursery.

 

[NanaK]

I think chickens have a "no hills" rule. They can spread a hill of leaves in no time.

Same with the collard leaves. They were grabbing a leaf and running off with them. A chicken running off with a whole leaf is pretty funny! I think some have learned to put their foot on it to hold it while they eat.

All I could hear was crunch, crunch, crunch as they were eating!

 

[kattabelly]

Interesting, I wonder if that was a type of perennial tree collard (Brassica oleracea var. acephala)? I've only read about those. Never seen them growing. The collards I grow are biennial. They will grow through the winter and set seed in spring.

Lots of brassicas will grow as a short-lived perennial, given the chance. Sometimes you need to nip the flowers off but some will set seed and then send out new growth from low on the stem if left alone, or just cut back after setting seed.

This cabbage is all one plant that's been growing for a few years!

 

[Molpet]

Lots of brassicas will grow as a short-lived perennial, given the chance. Sometimes you need to nip the flowers off but some will set seed and then send out new growth from low on the stem if left alone, or just cut back after setting seed.

This cabbage is all one plant that's been growing for a few years!
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I had kale plants that overwintered for a decade.... until a bad winter when deer dug down through the snow and ate them all. The kale never came back

 

[fuzzi]

I think chickens have a "no hills" rule. They can spread a hill of leaves in no time.

Same with the collard leaves. They were grabbing a leaf and running off with them. A chicken running off with a whole leaf is pretty funny! I think some have learned to put their foot on it to hold it while they eat.

All I could hear was crunch, crunch, crunch as they were eating!

I put a brick on the stems, to hold the leaves down. I have seen my chickens trying to stuff huge leaf portions down their beaks, gluttons!

Uncovered collards this morning...they'll perk up.

 

[Molpet]

I put a brick on the stems, to hold the leaves down. I have seen my chickens trying to stuff huge leaf portions down their beaks, gluttons!

I stuff suet feeders with leaves so it takes them awhile

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I stuff suet feeders with leaves so it takes them awhile

Oh, great idea!

 

[NanaK]

I stuff suet feeders with leaves so it takes them awhile

I used to do this for my disabled hen.