Garden crops for Chickens

[fuzzer]

Does anyone have any recommendations of what are good crops [seeds/greens/etc] to feed to chickens? The obvious i'm thinking is corn and sunflower seeds but i bet people have some things I'd never think of. Anyways, I want to try to grow a portion of their food in the extra space in my yard.

Thx
Paul

 

[Mahonri]

My chickens love my tomatoes.

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
Beets (tops in spring summer, root in fall winter.
Kale
Cabbage
Collards
Chard
Green barley.
Alfalfa


Heres a resource:
http://www.archive.org/details/eggfarmingincali00weekrich

 

[ji]

Fuzzer,
We are thinking along the same lines. I want to grow food for the cheeps too. So I started thinking "Well, what do they like that I like? If I plant for myself and just plant more than what I think I can eat then I will have surplus for my buddies.
-So, my first thought was collard greens. I like them and man do the chickens mow through them too. I'm guessing they would like the leaves of any brassicas.- I'll find out.
-I have lots of potatoes already planted. Any questionable ones or extras can be boiled up occassionally this winter for chicken food. (I keep reading that potatoes must be cooked for chickens)
-I'm growing some parsnips. I don't know if they will eat them once cooked but I'm guessing they will. They are sweet and tasty to ME. Throw a couple parsnips in the pot for the farmer and a couple for the birds. Costs nothing extra.
-I have read of using comfrey as chicken fodder too. I planted some this year for the first time and haven't got to try it yet as chicken food but the friend I got my starts from said HIS chickens eat the comfrey.
I'll be interested in any ideas others might be working on for feed supplement.

 

[Psittizen Shikkin]

We grew kohlrabi just for the chickens. They eat the whole plant except for the roots. They eat most of the zucchini. We shared the spinach and pole beans. Fed them all the radish tops as well as some of the radishes. We also grew beets solely for them. They'll probably get all of the corn as it didn't do so well and not much remains. Come to think of it, they're eating most of it. lol

 

[ji]

I can't believe I forgot one.
-Fall rye. Great cover crop, especially to condition a piece of new ground. Plant in fall, over winter, produces grain next summer - chickens do the harvesting if you let them or you can cut it and feed it to them.

 

[JennsPeeps]

I live on a little urban plot (just 0.1 acre... I checked the county assessment, hehe!!) and have an itty bitty kitchen garden.

My chickens love my tomatoes.

Apparently, so do mine! Yesterday I watched my girls snip off leaves of tomatoes, spinach, lettuce (it had already bolted & they loved the flowers), & lots & lots of grass. Now, in addition to the coop & run, I may have to figure out a little fence to keep the little goobers outta my veggies.

In summary - I think chickens will eat nearly anything you do. Mine go crazy for turkey.​

 

[Davaroo]

If you visit the link I gave and read through the sections on feeding, the author is very specific about what was grown for chickens.
It was not a random selection of "people veggies."

Yes, chickens will eat anything. SO will a fat man. But it doesn't mean either of them should.

 

[cluckychick]

Corn Husk?

 

[1acrefarm]

My chickens eat most everything out of my garden. I give the my cull veggies because they like them with a caterpillar in them after all. I also give them the ends and peelings of fruits and veggies. I do not grow anything special for them other than my very diverse lawn. I have plenty of veggie pieces left over from my own consumption. I do not recommend or warn against this. I agree with the poster that said some veggies are good for them some not.