is hay good for chickens?

[chickenlover847]

Hi I have 1 hen one rooster they are a breeding pair can they have dumor alfalfa and Timothy chopped hay do any of you feed hay if so what kind and does it do any good for them

 

[Irishhenman]

chickens shouldn't be given hay. It is way to long for them and they will get impacted crop or impacted gizzard. It also has nearly no nutritional value for them. Chickens aren't grazing animals they are foragers, looking for bugs and grains. They just eat some grass while they are scratching through it.

 

[Folly's place]

My chickens free range on my farm, with horses and cattle. There is hay everywhere, and never a problem. I also use hay in the nest boxes, and sometimes straw if we have any. The chickens pick at the seeds and pieces of leaves that appeal to them, with no issues. Of course the birds have grit; and gravel and sand that they pick up outside. Mary