Greens from grocery store

[kseaton]

Getting first baby chicks in a few weeks, and I'm learning and planning ahead on how to raise them. I can't free-range them because of my yard size, but I wondered about supplementing their regular feed diet with various green veggies from the store. Maybe sounds crazy, but if I toss in some collards, chards, kale, etc, into their run each day, will that give them meaningful nutrition that would make their eggs healthier and a brighter orange yoke? I know they won't have the benefit of yard bugs, but I wondered about the benefits of a good handful of leafy greens. thanks.

 

[igorsMistress]

Leafy greens, vegetables, fruit are all good. Herbs too. Collards are a bit tough though. Keep in mind that they'll need grit if you give anything other than their feed. Bugs can be purchased dehydrated and stored in the freezer. Live mealworms are typically available year round and are well loved. Snacks should be limited but I typically offer greens every day.

 

[Acre4Me]

Treats generally should be at 10% or less of their diet. An adult chicken eats about 1/4-1/3 pound per day (4-5 ounces). So, treats should be less than a tablespoon each....which isn’t much. That’s easy to think about for scratch, which can be measured in a spoon. But, the point being that the amount of treats given should be small -probably a lot smaller than many of us think!

my chickens are also in a run. I also give treats (scratch/veg/fruits), and they’ve also eaten the occasional baby bird that fell into their run, but they are omnivores! i feed a 20% all-flock so that the protein doesn’t get diluted too low when they get treats. In the colder months, I rehydrate alfalfa pellets (sold for horses) and mix into wet feed as a treat. Alfalfa affects yolk color and alfalfa is 16% protein. I’ll toss in various greens, and handfuls of grass, but alwAys in the afternoon so they have already eaten a good amount of their feed. Sometimes they get A LOT of a treat...a whole Brussel sprout stalk, leaves and all, or a few watermelon rinds, etc, but I don’t do that every day. They love grapes, but cut them in half so it lessens The choking risk as they will fight over them and race. Blueberries and grapes and small tomatoes are great for exercising the girls and entertainment bc you can just throw one or a few out and they will race to get one.

you can add your general location to your profile, but if you are somewhere hot, then a “treat” in the warm months will be lots of fresh water that is cool, and you can add a few pans or similar of shallow water with ice blocks for them to cool off in...they will stand in the cool water and drink.

enjoy your chicks!!

 

[DiYMama540]

I treat my flock, particularly in the winter when there isn't any grass here, to store bought goodies. My grocery store puts things on clearance that are about to go out of date and I scoop all that up for the birds.
Favorites of my flock are spring mix, romaine, corn, cucumbers, and cauliflower!
Just keep in mind not to overdo it and you will have a happy, healthy flock

 

[UrbnGardenPeeps]

I started feeding my girls lettuce and apples from day one. I gave them a leaf of lettuce a day or a quarter of a cored apple. I would use my finger to simulate a beak and "peck" at it to teach them to try new things. They LOVED it! I used parakeet grit free choice and never had a moment's issue with it. My one caution with greens is that many store-bought greens have high levels of pesticide on it. I would make sure to only give them organic when they're babies. My compost pile is the chicken's run. I won't give them toxic things like rhubarb leaves, potatoes, etc. However, everything else goes into the pile without limit. They have never had a sick day in their life and they're three years old this month. They make gorgeous compost, which goes back into my garden which then grows more delightful things for them to eat. Circle of life! I grew up raising Zebra Finches and remember reading a book that said feeding only bird seed is like feeding a diet of junk food. My girls also get all the grubs and slugs from our garden and they love them! We don't use chemical fertilizers or poisons on our lawn or garden so they can eat anything safely. You're exactly right about the yolks. My chickens are in a run as well. Here's the difference between a store-bought boiled egg and one of mine.

And here are some of my pretty girls eating their grass clippings.

 

[Buckeye Amy]

In the winter I give my flock a head of cabbage occasionally. It’s super cheap and gives them something to peck at. Overripe bananas are also super cheap and make a good treat. I toss a few into the run and let them work out how to get to the good part inside! When I weed my flowerbeds in the summer they get bucketfuls of fresh vegetation to pick through. They LOVE chickweed and dandelions! I have friends who save their pumpkins for my chickens in the fall. Ask around and see what’s available to you in your community.

 

[Breakfast for dinner]

Mine eat just about any store bought greens. Probably doesn’t hurt that I prep everything in to bite size pieces.

Also check to see if a local bait and tackle shop sells crickets or worms. My local shop sells them much cheaper than the pet stores. Get 50 large crickets for $3.

 

[UrbnGardenPeeps]

Overripe bananas are also super cheap and make a good treat. I toss a few into the run and let them work out how to get to the good part inside!

Mine love bananas too - they eat the skins by themselves as well!

 

[Onyxflock]

Getting first baby chicks in a few weeks, and I'm learning and planning ahead on how to raise them. I can't free-range them because of my yard size, but I wondered about supplementing their regular feed diet with various green veggies from the store. Maybe sounds crazy, but if I toss in some collards, chards, kale, etc, into their run each day, will that give them meaningful nutrition that would make their eggs healthier and a brighter orange yoke? I know they won't have the benefit of yard bugs, but I wondered about the benefits of a good handful of leafy greens. thanks.

Big greens ought to be shredded up some, especially with younger birds. We have pomegranates and the chickens get 3 or 4 a week. I put them on the ground and crush them with my foot, no stains on my hands!
We also throw in our grass clippings and the leaves f4om yard clean up. They live scratching around in it.

 

[Onyxflock]

Treats generally should be at 10% or less of their diet. An adult chicken eats about 1/4-1/3 pound per day (4-5 ounces). So, treats should be less than a tablespoon each....which isn’t much. That’s easy to think about for scratch, which can be measured in a spoon. But, the point being that the amount of treats given should be small -probably a lot smaller than many of us think!

my chickens are also in a run. I also give treats (scratch/veg/fruits), and they’ve also eaten the occasional baby bird that fell into their run, but they are omnivores! i feed a 20% all-flock so that the protein doesn’t get diluted too low when they get treats. In the colder months, I rehydrate alfalfa pellets (sold for horses) and mix into wet feed as a treat. Alfalfa affects yolk color and alfalfa is 16% protein. I’ll toss in various greens, and handfuls of grass, but alwAys in the afternoon so they have already eaten a good amount of their feed. Sometimes they get A LOT of a treat...a whole Brussel sprout stalk, leaves and all, or a few watermelon rinds, etc, but I don’t do that every day. They love grapes, but cut them in half so it lessens The choking risk as they will fight over them and race. Blueberries and grapes and small tomatoes are great for exercising the girls and entertainment bc you can just throw one or a few out and they will race to get one.

you can add your general location to your profile, but if you are somewhere hot, then a “treat” in the warm months will be lots of fresh water that is cool, and you can add a few pans or similar of shallow water with ice blocks for them to cool off in...they will stand in the cool water and drink.

enjoy your chicks!!

Alfalfa also can be given in raw form. We can get cubes of baled alfalfa or broken bales from feed store. I pull a big "flake" off and spread it out, they go to town on it. After it's dried and munched up I rake the straw left over into the corner of the run, where they like to roost in the shade. Then to the compost pile it goes.