Is my husband killing my chickens.

[gonecountry]

I have raised chickens off and on for several years. For the first time ever I have a chicken with impacted crop or maybe sour crop. My husband has spend all summer filling their run full of unused vegatables from our garden, mostly bad tomatoes, watermelon and ocassionally red peppers with bad places. Also when he cuts grass around the run it he lawn mower blows a lot of grass into the run. He says chickens will eat anything. My argument is so do humans but that doesn’t mean they should. Does anyone know if feeding all the garden leftovers and grass could cause my chickens to have the sour crop or impaction.

 

[lazy gardener]

My birds get overgrown veggies, mostly zucchini and cukes. We bag all of our grass and it is either dumped into the chicken run, their coop, or a sheet composting area. Lots of grass clippings in run and coop all summer. The run is deep litter compost. My birds have never had sour or impacted crop. They also get fermented feed. I have had one bird with a pendulous crop, but to my knowledge, never sour or impacted. I removed her from my flock b/c I did not want her playing in the gene pool. Visited her a year later. She was healthy and sassy, still laying an egg a day, still with her crop looking like she'd benefit from a single cup bra.

Do your birds have constant access to grit of an appropriate size????

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

My birds get all that too. I have not YET had sour or impacted crop, in 7 years of raising chickens. I try to make sure thee grass gets mowed when what's thrown everywhere is not longer than 3-4 inches, as I have read long stuff is what CAN cause a problem.

I do agree that just because chickens will eat anything (they love wet cardboard and styrofoam), doesn't mean they should.

I would note that they would also appreciate any left over meat you have. Chickens are omnivores and protein is an important component. Bread type products are often related to sour crop is my understanding.

I hope your bird gets help and feels better!

 

[MasAhora]

Your place sounds like mine, we also add weeds when we pull them up. I am hoping to soon lay about 3 inches of grass cuttings in a section of their pen....they loved scratching for bugs in it previously. Best treat ever are when I find maggots my soft squashes and flick em over to the hens
They're in my vege patch right now to clean up storm damaged vege's starting to go bad and getting riddled with bugs. They seem to go for those first

 

[Mrs. K]

Mine too, anything past go in my fridge - goes to the chickens! All scraps from the table, all cleanings from the garden, and mine do fine.

Years ago, my grandmother told me, "Never throw away food, and you will never have hunger." Making eggs removes my guilt!

Never had sour crop or impacted crop. Cull that bird and enjoy the rest.

Mrs K

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

My chickens get all sorts of left overs. Nothing moldy but past human want. I haven't had any problems.

It's my understanding that long grass can cause impacted crop. If you see them really going after it try not giving it to them and see if the problems stop.

Every chicken is different. Just like people what doesn't bother one to eat could cause problems for another.

 

[venymae]

We feed our chickens half gone produce all the time, and we actually bag our grass and dump it into the run for them to sift through and pick out the good bits (clover, dandylion and sorrel). The chickens free range in a tall grass prairie, but don't seem to eat the really long grass. We have never dealt with impacted or sour crop. We do give our chickens a river sand (has mixed sized grains, not all are small) mixture for grit. It helps prevent those types of things.

 

[Sara Ranch]

I don't have fridge or table leftovers.

But I do have chicken gardens. The chickens (and ducks) forage through and eat what they want. They do leave the nightshade plants alone.

For the girls that are in a fenced pasture, I throw many things in from weeding and from the garden, but I do NOT throw in rotting fruit or nightshade plants.

*** All of my pepper plants (a nightshade plant) are finished producing. I would not rip out the plants and give them to the chickens. Instead, the nightshade plant will go into the compost. The chickens LOVED the fresh tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants though. I do not feed raw potatoes to the the chickens. Might try cooked potatoes...have a bumper crop of sweet potatoes this year.

What's in the coop? Sand, pine shavings, hay? Chickens eat hay and that sometimes can be found in chickens that have impacted/sour crops.

What feed are the chickens getting?

How much protein are the chickens getting?

 

[Reiki Rooster]

I had to build a chicken fence around my garden to keep my chickens out of it years ago. Ever since then, I've been feeding them scraps from my garden, even from my salads (no dressing )during winter months along with their reg food. Also, my flock is free range so they are around when I mow. Never paid attention if they eat the clippings or not though.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I don't have fridge or table leftovers.

But I do have chicken gardens. The chickens (and ducks) forage through and eat what they want. They do leave the nightshade plants alone.

For the girls that are in a fenced pasture, I throw many things in from weeding and from the garden, but I do NOT throw in rotting fruit or nightshade plants.

*** All of my pepper plants (a nightshade plant) are finished producing. I would not rip out the plants and give them to the chickens. Instead, the nightshade plant will go into the compost. The chickens LOVED the fresh tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants though. I do not feed raw potatoes to the the chickens. Might try cooked potatoes...have a bumper crop of sweet potatoes this year.

What's in the coop? Sand, pine shavings, hay? Chickens eat hay and that sometimes can be found in chickens that have impacted/sour crops.

What feed are the chickens getting?

How much protein are the chickens getting?

Plants in the night shade family and poisonous nightshades are two completely different things. My chickens have mowed tomato plants to the ground for years without issues. Of course being cautious is always good, as well as making sure they don't get locked in the run with things that may be harmful. But free ranging access, there are lots of things on my land that are not ideal. But alas I cannot eliminate every single one no matter how hard I try.

My point... some things like "nightshade" poison are way exaggerated.... or rather, not to be AS worried about as people make it out to be.

Bet they do enjoy some of them sweet potatoes!