my chickens only eat planted greens

[tjo804]

I would love to get Ostrich eggs! Sadly DH will not let me have one.
I like the bantam eggs for the tree.

 

[Beekissed]

Eating greens really isn't that important to chickens. They will do it, certainly! However, dry matter (aka seeds, grains, even dried hay) is where they receive alot of their nutrients from. They don't really have the proper system to take nutrients out of fresh greens (think of how a ruminent like a cow needs so many stomachs to get the job done, your chickens are literally only working with a gizzard full of rocks)

Have to respectfully disagree with you on this. Eating greens is extremely important to chickens and they have special pockets off their bowels that help them metabolize the proteins found in grasses and other greens.....these are called the ceca and they hold green materials there to ferment them, which helps convert the sugars and proteins found in grasses to amino acids, a more usable form of nutrition for them. A variety of greens is a huge part of the natural diet of a chicken, so stating they aren't important is a bit off base.

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For the OP, you might try utilizing grow frames for your chickens, where they can clip off the top of the greens when they want to graze but cannot destroy the plant itself. I'd plant a mixture of pasture grasses under them, along with some white dutch clover(can have up to 22% digestible protein, depending on the season and time of day), if you want them to be able to pick and choose what they find to be the most digestible. Including some starts of quack grass can help them ingest a type of natural dewormer as well, as the sharp edges of this type of grass can help cut the bodies of internal parasites, much like when dogs and cats chewing on quack grass lets you know they have a worm problem.




Here's a link that can help you find grass and legume varieties that are high in digestible protein for chickens: http://www.feedipedia.org/

 

[tjo804]

I love the frames I have been thinking about doing some I like the small ones better

 

[whoop whoop]

I must admit I also thought greens were necessary that is why have planted so many - your frames are brilliant, going to make some or get DH to make some tomorrow

Pic of Chisi holding the spinach fort lol