Red Cabbage

[jeremy]

I've got an extra head of red cabbage in my fridge that I though about hanging in the girls run for them to peck at, I just wanted to know if cabbage was okay for the hens to eat? I've been told that you shouldn't really feed them things from the brassica family?

 

[Imp]

They'll love cabbage. Be forewarned- I think purple cabbage will change their poop to neon blue or some color. It's normal but scary if you are not expecting it.

Imp

 

[Doopy]

About a million years ago when I was a kid growing up on a little farm my mom had the healthiest chickens in Indiana. I remember that she always had a special wooden bucket with her when she worked in her big vegetable garden and filled the bucket with all sorts of cuttings, veggies, fruit, greens, worms, bugs and just about anything else she could gather from the garden. As she walked past the chicken run she would always toss the contents onto the ground in the run. I can remember seeing big chunks of RED CABBAGE in the piles. If memory serves me right the chickens never left a scrap of anything. There would always be a dozen, or so, little tiny chicks digging through the remains.

She was also a very prolific baker of breads, pies, cookies, and cakes. All of the waste from her kitchen went into the run also.

 

[hen-thusiast]

Quote:
Ditto on that. I was alarmed the first time until I figured out what it was.

 

[Mahonri]

Just don't be surprised if they get gassy!

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

It was posted a few days back about feeding cabbage to chickens. It's O.K. but beware of chicken "gas".

 

[joedie]

I've fed green cabbage. I hung it on a string for them to play with. They really didn't care for it though.

 

[jeremy]

Quote:
What?!? Is that true, I'm guess it would be because of the color of the cabbage right? The natural dyes somehow changing their poo. L0L.

I just went outside and strung it up for them, I pulled a few leaves from the head to tempt them towards it but so far nobody seems to have taken the bait.

 

[Imp]

Quote:
What?!? Is that true, I'm guess it would be because of the color of the cabbage right? The natural dyes somehow changing their poo. L0L.

I just went outside and strung it up for them, I pulled a few leaves from the head to tempt them towards it but so far nobody seems to have taken the bait.

I haven't experienced it personally, but it has been posted before.

It might take a while for them to go for a new food.

Imp- I'll go looking for blue poo info.

Here's a link https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=240186

 

[b.hromada]

My girls just love cabbage! Good thing, I've never experienced the "gassy" thing though.

Too funny! Makes sense though. I'll be on the look out next time.