Grass Clippings

[llombardo]

The chickens, ducks and rabbits love when I put grass clippings in with them. I have a lot of grass but the supply is not meeting the demand. I can get grass clippings(I work in the garbage industry) but I worry about not knowing where it comes from and if pesticides are used. Is this a valid fear? There are lots of people that use pesticides--I dont. I know it dries and is said to be safe after that, but safe for animals to eat?

 

[BellePoule]

I wouldn't use grass clippings without knowing that they are pesticide free (that includes organic pesticides, they are often more dangerous than synthetic pesticides). When they dry, they are safe(ish) to touch, but not ingest.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I only use grass clippings from my property because we don’t treat our lawn with chemicals. It would be unwise to use potentially treated grass clippings.

 

[llombardo]

That's what I thought. My next plan of action is to just ask people I know if they use pesticides and ask for their grass clipping. They are going to think I lost my mind...

 

[BellePoule]

That's what I thought. My next plan of action is to just ask people I know if they use pesticides and ask for their grass clipping. They are going to think I lost my mind...

Most people think chicken people are crazy anyways...

 

[chickens really]

Grass clippings should not be fed. It can cause impacted Crops.

 

[llombardo]

The chickens and ducks scratch around and they do eat it, but not like the bunnies. The bunnies not only love it, but they require it.

 

[Whitepinefarm]

I didn't know that you shouldn't use grass clippings. My chicks who are almost 2 months old consider them the highlight of their day.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I didn't know that you shouldn't use grass clippings. My chicks who are almost 2 months old consider them the highlight of their day.

If you're going to give them clippings, keep the clippings as short as possible (i.e. you mow frequently so the grass stays short). I've watched a chicken try to choke down a 7" stalk of grass before, not a smart thing to do!

I use dried grass as a litter component. My chickens aren't fond of it dry so they don't eat too much of it.

And to OP: I wouldn't use any grass clippings that weren't off my lawn for the same reasons others mentioned above, unless you know the neighbor/friend you're sourcing from doesn't use pesticides, fertilizers, etc. and doesn't have a gardening service that might be adding treatments without them knowing.

 

[lazy gardener]

I would not use clippings from other properties: insecticides being a primary concern. But, herbicides are an other great concern. Many herbicides are endocrine disruptors, while others persist for a very long time, and can even cause long term poisoning of your garden soil even after they have passed through an animal's gut into their manure, which is then composted and put on the garden. The other concern: clippings heat up super fast. A pile of clippings dumped in my garden will be steamy within several hours of being dumped. So, clippings that are bagged from a friends property may be fine for the compost, or fine if spread very thin in the coop/run. But, my preference is to only use clippings from my yard. You need a bigger lawn!!!

I also never have enough clippings. They go into my coops, and my runs where chickens of all ages go nuts eating them. (and yes, I have chicks also). Never issues with sour crop or crop binding. Well... only one single issue in 5 years time, and I attribute that to the fact that the hen in question had an underlying issue. Clippings also go into gardens, and into compost (standard as well as sheet compost).