giving your chickens green

[dadsgirl]

new at raising chickens and have heard they need green stuff (such as grass ) everyday to help them lay, is there anything you can buy to feed them when the grass is no longer green?? thanks

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
Seeds, which you plant in the ground and allow to grow into plants. Some good ones are kales, beets, turnips, collards, chards. Since you live in Florida, you are blessed with ayear round abundance.

You can also feed alfalfa pellets, like you give to rabbits. I doubt your chckens will like them very much, but it has been done.

And of course, any produce which you do not consume is fit for them.

 

[henjoy]

If you have access to hay, you can give them that when your grass is no longer green. We have sheep who aren't the neatest eaters in the world and our chickens love to clean up hay scraps when we feed hay in the winter. I don't think that they would eat a lot at a time, but maybe just a bit for variety and extra nutrition. When my dad was a kid they fed their hens alfalfa pellets as was previously suggested. He said that the hens ate them pretty well.

 

[Greyscale Rainbow]

Sprouted seeds are also a good option - google will come up with lots of advice on how to do it (very easy).

 

[Nuggetsowner:)]

I feed my girls plenty of green scraps in the winter. Lettuce leaves, produce, spinach and turnip greens that I plant in flats for them. My girls get a "treat" each day and this is one way I provide it for them.

 

[tvtaber]

Most weeds are great for them, and tend to stay green longer than grass! I pull up a few large ones and throw them in the pen about every day, dirt and all, and they are very happy! OBTW, it is not recommended to feed grass clippings because the pieces can mat together and cause an impacted crop. Letting grass grow long and pulling up roots and all for the chickens is an alternative.

 

[DougD]

What about empty pea pods, are they ok to feed to adult chickens?

 

[Jenski]

In our Tennessee winters I toss the girls some mixed grass/alfalfa hay - - it keeps their feet off the wet/cold ground, keeps them busy scratching around, and they can munch on the dried alfalfa leaves. (I imagine you could also do this in a hot FL summer when the grass disappears.) I also toss them plenty of greenies - - dark green lettuce (not iceberg), kale, Romaine, etc. You are welcome to check out the food lists and articles from my site.

http://theworldofjenotopia.com/cmsjoomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=62&Itemid=27

I also keep a current "menu" posted as well - -

http://www.theworldofjenotopia.com

Feeding my girls their greenies keeps them healthy, and it makes the egg yolks nice, rich, and impossibly dark orange. And they love snacking!

Good luck!

Jen in TN

 

[tvtaber]

empty pea pods are fine, but my hens do not touch anything crunchy! You could try a few and if they do not like them microwave them for a few minutes and try again...