I am starting a chicken garden!! What goes in it?

[matthewschickens]

Hello Everyone!

I am going to start a chicken garden to try to lower feed bills!
Here is the question:
What goes in it? I am looking for things that are good for them and also things that they like.

Thanks!

Matthew

 

[noodleroo]

I know that my chicks like dandelion and chickweed. These are very good for you (humans) to eat also. Google 'medicinal garden' and you'll get some ideas or try mountainroseherbs.com; that's where I bought my seeds.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Chickens like: Squash, greenbeans, tomatoes, corn can't think of anything else at the moment!

 

[vatterpa]

I'm all for Comfrey. Its good for beesting and burns for you too.

 

[lilray]

Comfrey I hear a lot. We feed our chickens succulents a lot also. They grow fast and thick. I hear mangle beets a lot also. I planted corn this year. I feed ours rice too. Young cactus (nopales) I also buy in big quantities I skip one day every two weeks and will probably start one day a week, just water. They will eat all and everything.

 

[jujubean99]

I don't know specific plans, but my chickies love to scratch around in my compost pile! Maybe you could get some sort of plant or pile of something that attracts bugs for them to find

 

[detali]

My chickens like lettuce. To my dismay, my whole row of lettuce is just about to bolt, so I won't be getting any more till I plant a new crop in the fall. But the chickens love it. In fact any leafy greens from your garden. The only thing that I found out my hens won't eat is fava beans. I planted a whole bed of them, thinking it would be good chicken feed. They just trampled it down.

 

[DianeB]

Greens, grains, legumes and bugs should make a balanced diet for your chickens. Greens have the highest nutrient per calorie and space of any plant. So, if you don't have much space, start with those. If you do have space, I definately recommend you also grow some grains and legumes. He's a thread about green manure/cover crops that double as chicken feed. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=293840

 

[redhen]

Kale

 

[Larry33843]

I've got 1000 sq. ft. ready to plant sorghum, millet and broom corn, to feed to my guineas as scratch. Not sure about chickens, though I think they like these grains also.