is grass important for chickens?

[camocoop]

i recently built a chicken coop and all the grass that was there has been eaten and demolished is it important for chickens to have grass to eat?

 

[Smittenroade]

no

 

[karlamaria]

Quote:
really?? I was of the impressin its very good for them and cheap as greens cost a fortune these days. course grass clippings are good to over the fence LOL,

 

[camocoop]

Thank you

 

[Carolyn]

It is essential for me that my chickens have grass. They are happier and the egg yolks are darker/ since free range chickens have more nurtrious eggs with less cholesteral, grass and other green plants have a part in that. Due to predators my chickens have very limited free ranging. I feed them kitchen and garden scraps, weeds from the garden and flower beds etc, green material but a variety. They seem to enjoy this and if there is something they don't want to eat, they just turn it into wonderful compost.

Some folks plant raised beds covered with hardware cloth or other small wire and plant greens or grass. Supposedly the chickens don't obliterate the whole crop because they can only eat what they can reach thru the wire.

However Smittenroade is correct. Some commercially raised chickens never see grass.

 

[teach1rusl]

As long as they are on a formulated feed, they do not NEED grass. But it sure makes their lives more enjoyable. So as often as you can, provide them greens of some sort, even fresh grass clippings.

 

[Smittenroade]

Quote:
really?? I was of the impressin its very good for them and cheap as greens cost a fortune these days. course grass clippings are good to over the fence LOL,

I was just answering the question that it's not important. Makes them more healthy, but I doubt you would really tell the difference...It's really greens including weeds and stuff, not just grass. You could substitute lettuce, broccoli...Ya know, leafy green veggies probably more nutritional quality in those.

 

[pnuts]

they are still happier than any factory farmed chicken no doubt

 

[pgpoultry]

It is absolutely not essential.

However, my chooks have access to a large amount and they have the most orange yolked eggs ever....full of carotenoids and flavenoids....extra good for us to eat!