Sweet peas/English peas

[kuntrychick]

I've seen mentioned on here about chickens liking sweet peas/English peas...little green peas.

I wasn't sure if they have to be cooked first or if you can feed them the frozen peas raw or right out of the can on the canned ones? I'm assuming the dry ones would need to be cooked first. What about out of the garden....shell them & feed them raw?

I personally don't like sweet peas

(one of the few veggies I don't like), so I don't buy them but I would be willing to buy them every once in a while and/or plant a few in the spring for the chickens.

I did, however, come across a bag of frozen sweet peas & a bag of frozen collard greens in the freezer when I was cleaning it. I have no idea how long they've been in there

...I don't remember buying them (especially the peas since I don't buy them).

Will these still be ok to feed to the chickens? What about freezer burn or anything...does that matter? I wasn't sure if I can just feed them straight out of the freezer or thaw them out first, or if they would need to be cooked.

Thanks!

 

[Linn Bee]

As for your frozen veggies. . . let them thaw a bit and let the chickens have them. Freezer burn affects mostly taste. I don't think my chickens take the time to savor anything I give them so taste isn't a biggie with them.

My garden peas were eaten off the vine. My fowl monsters ate the immature peas and beans that I'd hoped to eat and they stripped the vines of drying peas and beans. Today I 'harvested' the last of my beets. Hard to find since the leaves were eaten to the ground by my starving flock. HA!

My birds also like a can of peas for a treat every now and then. I buy the cheapest peas and mix them into warm oatmeal and birdseed for breakfast. They seem to eat the peas first.

Next spring I fence in the veggies since the chicken are free ranging. Just not free to pillage my veggies.

Love, Linn B (aka Smart Red) Gardening zone 5a - 4b in south-est, central-est Wisconsin