OH MY LETTUCE!

[slabcrappy]

Good stuff folks! Thank you very much. The girls look great and went for more romaine this morning right after coming off the roost. I love making them happy!

 

[TonySorrento]

Your birds are so sweet ... they follow you like rats to the pied piper

 

[Den in Penn]

Wouldn't it be great if chickens came with data port we could plug into and get a read out of what they need more of, or less of.

 

[kittypaul]

i have seen a lot of lettuce being put out for chickens and it seems to be good for them, but i would take there advise and put about one every other day.

i hear that lettuce can keep them from getting sick but i havn't gotten my chicks yet soooooo i'm not very sure. good luck!

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Great way to leverage a resource that would otherwise go to waste (and require the shelter to pay to dispose of). With six hens you may not get many "extra" eggs, but if you do, maybe they can find a home at the shelter? Make the girls "pay" for their treats!

 

[Slike]

I encouraged my mom to engender a relationship with a small, organic market local to where she lives, in order to get their often plethora vegetable and fruit scraps. A great deal (sometimes half or more) of what's in the boxes is often Lettuce of varying kinds. It's great for them, and lettuce itself is not going to harm them. It contains vitamins and minerals, and beneficial, digestion-promoting substances that can aid in their ability to better digest other foods.

Keep in mind while Lettuce might look like there's a lot to it, when its all mish-mashed down, its a joke - its not even a third its apparent size.

 

[lazy gardener]

Big concern is that you'll see them having the squirts from eating all that moisture laden lettuce. Not really a problem... but watch where you step.

 

[Mmljar1]

Interesting, varied responses. Thank you for the replies. This morning the girls look great. Because I am the president of over-analysiers anonymous, I came up with this:

1. They eat all day long. Really, they only take very little breaks from foraging for grasses, flora, fauna and bugs.
2. 3 heads of romaine is not that much for 6 large breed chickens, half a head a bird.
3. They have never over-eaten in the past to my knowledge. They always have food out all day long.

I am very happy I can suppliment their food intake by offering different things for them to eat. They are very happy and healthy birds. I am so thankful that our town allows chickens. They are a great source of entertainment, eggs, instruction (to our children) and overall enjoyment.

Thanks for the info. I Love My Chickens!

 

[EddieSalita]

Another side effect that can occur from too much oxalate rich greens is weak egg shells.
It takes a lot. But some loose leaf lettuce varieties can be quite high in oxalates.

I learned this when I put my chickens in a large patch of overgrown warrigal greens. Which they love. By the end of the week, once they had consumed their bodyweight in warrigal greens many times over. They shells were showing signs. Despite the constant availability of shell grit and quality layer feed.

The tolerance is high. But it's something to be aware of. A few heads of lettuce certainly won't do this though.