No taste for greens

[PouleNoire]

Haha, that's happened to me too

 

[Hyper_Chicken05]

Mine love fresh, preferably still growing in the garden or just picked. They will eat my leftover salad but I don't use salad dressings so the greens are still fresh and not wilted or nasty. Now the Ameraucanas love mostly anything, because the place they were at before never gave them any attention, so they seem so grateful, they love to even see me walking towards them and will gladly try anything I bring them. My Barred Rocks, I spoiled from youth, so they are more picky, don't even seem to care for fresh tomatoes, but will eat fresh picked greens.

My dad tried to give all of them green beans out of a can once and they didn't go for it, to which I said, see that, I keep telling you veggies out of a can are not good, even the chickens know it, there's your proof. LOL

All of mine absolutely love Chickweed. I watched them as they foraged and noticed a particular weed they liked, yes they nibble at clover but they LOVE Chickweed. (my entire 2 acres is mostly weeds but hey, it's green and no darn chemicals, doesn't bother me) So, I noticed the Chickweek is all through my yard but especially next to things like fence posts, barn steps, etc. So I dug some up, planted it in window box type pots, but it did really well when I added these little mini trellis things I found at the dollar store. So it doesn't really climb them, but it grows thicker and fuller with longer stems and leaves, acts like it wants to climb, if that makes sense. It's a plant that prefers cooler weather, we get a lot growing in Spring then it dies out in Summer heat, so planting it in a room that stays cooler works well.

I also took some of my Pigeon feed, just sprinkled it on the ground and grew plants from the various grains, and all birds like to nibble on the baby leaves of the young plants, Pigeons, Cockatiels, Parakeets and the Chickens. Greens are a good treat, they have nutrients, better than just cracked corn I would think.

Hmmmm, Someone I know grows opo (Calabash), She said her chickens go crazy for them, I took some home and my chickens took one peck at it and left. Same with worms.

They still like can food tho, Canned corn, Peas, etc. Texture is also big for mine, I chucked them a carrot and they left it. So as every good bird parent does, I chewed it for them! They ate it lol.

I also had some rock melon/cantaloupe leftovers, They liked it but weren’t to interested. So instead I cut it up, put it in the blender with some bananas, Oats, And something else that left my brain.

So maybe they are just fussy and that’s how it is, Or maybe I should try giving them fresh veggies and see how that goes.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

Mine are picky about apple skins. If it's a thicker skin they won't peck it open to get inside. I have cut it in half, then they leave the skin. If it's thinner they will devour the whole apple. Not a trace of it left.

 

[Patinas]

Mine love veggies too but if I put something new on their treat tray, they will usually ignore it at first. Might take a few times of putting it on their tray before they will eat it. I think the fact that it is unfamiliar causes their initial avoidance.

My advice is keep trying! Funny thing with chickens...it only takes one chicken to try something new and then all of a sudden, all the others want it too!

Ever notice how they watch each other and if one acts like it has something to eat the others will run over and try and take it from them? Doesn't matter what it is, the others just want it. So you just need one chicken to take the plunge into veggieville and the others will follow!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

.... My chickens... just hate veggies. Brocoli, Spinnach, Silverbeat, Carrots, Cabbage, And any other veggies ( Greens in particular ), They won’t eat. They get plenty of grass and bugs to eat, We feed them lots of fruit, Meat, Infact I make them fruit smoothies ( Out of scrap fruit). I’ve tried blending them, Boiling, Mashing them. Their not interested... does anyone else have chooks like this? And finally, Why do they not like them?, Thanks for your help...

Things like grass and other greens have been oversold as a health food for chickens. While a single chicken can devastate 15sf of turf in a day just how much of it is eaten and how much grass or turf is destroyed by scratching while looking for wee living things?

 

[ronott1]

try chopped kale...but if they have plenty of greens in the yard they do not need treats. Too much treats is bad for them

 

[Hyper_Chicken05]

Greetings Hyper_Chicken05,

It's not unusual that some chickens don't like vegies of any kind.

My chickens love them, fruit too. However, they learned how to eat greens as youngsters. I used to take them down to the vegetable garden to play while I worked. They were very curious, and just started to peck at the leaves on their own. They grew to love those greens and some of the herbs too. But, hard vegetables like carrots, celery, and bell peppers, are not something that appeals to chickens.
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I cook hard vegies and mix them with cooked grains: brown rice, wheat berries, oat groats and barley, then I add a scrabbled egg and a bit of garlic powder, and voila! A delectable vegie confetti creation!

And I also reduce waste by cutting the greens into smaller sizes and then stuff them into large suet baskets. I toss in some sliced up fruit, tomato, or little wedges of buttered toast. The chickens enjoy running from basket to basket foraging for their favorite goodies, then they'll eat the remaining greens. This is great, when they have to stay in their pen.

Sometimes you just have to try different things to get them interested. But, do they have to eat vegies? NO. If your girls prefer grass that's fine, just have be careful that long grasses don't get stuck in their crops. I also, have a little pen in the run which I toss some alfalfa hay into. My hens also enjoy eating the little alfalfa leaves and scratching around the hay, too. They are allowed to forage everyday, but they have eaten most of the edible vegitation, so it's good to have other options for them.

Fresh greens and vegetables are good for their health, they add more vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and cancer fighting phytonutrients. If your chickens eat greens and other vegetables they'll also make some nice dark orange yolks.

Pumpkins are also good for chickens, unfortunately, mine don't really care for them. Unless I bake them and sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on them...I know, spoiled rotten chickens!

So that's my condensed rant on greens and vegies for chickens.

God Bless

Maybe I should try getting them on greens at a young age like you, I have made all of my chickens fruitoholics lol, So maybe the chickens are just used to fruit and not veggies because they rarely get them.

If I tried mixing or blending them with some fruit, Will that work? mine go crazy for bananas so maybe some bananas with it will make them more intrigued.

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

You said your chickens like grasses...maybe they would like some sprouted wheat grass. There are all kinds of sprouts you can make for them. Sprouts are greens too, and very healthy. This may get them interested in other greens. Chickens like crunchy fresh greens, like lettuces, which have a mild flavor and crispy texture.

And you are so right, I think hiding pieces of banana will be exciting for them! I stick all kinds of fruit, and even pieces of bread in the greens. They, start screaming when they see me coming with the bucket of green goodies. It is so hilarious, to watch them run to each suet basket searching for their favorite things.

I don't feed them like this just for the nutritious benefits, but for the nurturing benefits, too. I can't let my chickens out till late afternoon, when I can monitor them. We have a lot of predators, and even though we have fencing, some electrified, and a dog, I have to be out there. The hens do get stressed being in the pen most of the day. So, the greens also serve as a nurturing activity, that distracts them and keeps them calm.

If you have a small flock, these are things a keeper can do to enrich the environment of the flock, which is a health benefit for the chickens too.

 

[Hyper_Chicken05]

You said your chickens like grasses...maybe they would like some sprouted wheat grass. There are all kinds of sprouts you can make for them. Sprouts are greens too, and very healthy. This may get them interested in other greens. Chickens like crunchy fresh greens, like lettuces, which have a mild flavor and crispy texture.

And you are so right, I think hiding pieces of banana will be exciting for them! I stick all kinds of fruit, and even pieces of bread in the greens. They, start screaming when they see me coming with the bucket of green goodies. It is so hilarious, to watch them run to each suet basket searching for their favorite things.

I don't feed them like this just for the nutritious benefits, but for the nurturing benefits, too. I can't let my chickens out till late afternoon, when I can monitor them. We have a lot of predators, and even though we have fencing, some electrified, and a dog, I have to be out there. The hens do get stressed being in the pen most of the day. So, the greens also serve as a nurturing activity, that distracts them and keeps them calm.

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If you have a small flock, these are things a keeper can do to enrich the environment of the flock, which is a health benefit for the chickens too.

I’l. Try the sprouts, Once I was feeding them wheat and accidentally dropped some of the wheat in a bag of potting mix (Next to the bag of wheat) and wen’t to plant some herbs and found wheat sprouts in their lol. So I fed them to the chickens and they gobbled it up.

Where I live, I don’t have to worry about predators, Besides the cat and dog. The cats aren’t really a problem, Sometimes and see them stalking up on my adult birds but they never attack. And so far we haven’t had dogs invade our property. So the greens probs won’t be for nurturing purposes like you.

 

[RUNuts]

I cooked some spaghetti squash and tossed the rinds in the run to let them clean out the insides. After a couple of days, they were eating the hard rind. Crunchy like potato chips. Over a week, it was gone. didn't think they would eat the hard rind. Surprising what they eat.

I have a bit of curly dock growing in the yard. Turns out mine love the stuff. I'm letting it go, instead of mowing or fighting it this year. Been fighting it for 17 years now. I'll chop it and toss it to the chickens when I can't let them roam. 2 5 gallon buckets of leaves and stems will yield stems in a day. Takes me 15 minutes at most to machete the curly dock and walk it to them. Good greens.

Mine will also hunt out the clover and chickweed to fill their crops for the night. Little bit of grass.

I opened the compost pile to let them scratch through. Talk about a grand old time! After 2 weeks, I rake up the compost to use in the garden. They have picked and shredded the pile. They throw the big chunks to the outside which really helps me scoop up the sticks and put back on the new pile.