Tricking baby chicken with grass

[tokies]

can i trick my baby chicken into eating grass from start? if i chop up finely like 1-2% grass into their starter feed will it make them more into eating grass from the start?

i normally start my chick on sand with a heat bulb. it's in a chicken tractor. outdoor from day one but it's completely covered with a bit of light coming through.

what i am thinking is maybe i could put my chicken tractor half on my sand pan and half on pasture to begin with. then cut up finely or blend some pasture grass in right from the start. has anyone else tried this?

 

[scratch'n'peck]

If centimeter long pieces of grass are offered to 2 week old chicks as only 1-2% of the chicks' diet along with sand as grit, it may not pose a problem. I am just a bit leery about recommending grass after seeing photos of balls of grass removed from chickens impacted crops. Granted that is usually long grass.

 

[Den in Penn]

My grow out tractor, which is two story, sits on grass from when they are around four weeks. That is also the time I will open the trap door to let them down the ramp to the grass rug. I don't worry about them eating grass. If they do, they do. When they have to pull it themselves they will cut it to length and not eat too much. Granted I run the tractor over the lawn so the grass isn't more then three inches, I worry about them getting a balanced diet, grass isn't really helpful for that.

 

[centrarchid]

Let them come into eating grass gradually and naturally. My free-range birds initially start pecking at it when about 2 weeks old but do not eat much until 5 weeks old. They do not seem to handle it like adults until at least 10 weeks of age. They do not simply eat grass, they target tender young shoots and often prefer other plant species over actual grasses.

 

[eviemethugh]

Let them come into eating grass gradually and naturally. My free-range birds initially start pecking at it when about 2 weeks old but do not eat much until 5 weeks old. They do not seem to handle it like adults until at least 10 weeks of age. They do not simply eat grass, they target tender young shoots and often prefer other plant species over actual grasses.

This.
Ours really only eat weeds, clover and little things that catch their fancy. Grass...only if it's gone to seed, and then only the seeds. If they are eating grass it is good to make sure it is rye or bluegrass or something with protein and nutrients. It's like lettuce, you can eat iceberg only, but romaine is so much better for you. Certain grasses are better than others. Clover is really good. Our geese love to eat grass.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

This.
Ours really only eat weeds, clover and little things that catch their fancy. Grass...only if it's gone to seed, and then only the seeds. If they are eating grass it is good to make sure it is rye or bluegrass or something with protein and nutrients. It's like lettuce, you can eat iceberg only, but romaine is so much better for you. Certain grasses are better than others. Clover is really good. Our geese love to eat grass.

Yes and while it seems that chickens are grass eating feigns, they really just mostly tear up the turf by scratching and digging. Also most grasses produce seed at the tips of the shoots and a hen stripping grass seed looks to the world like she is grazing, when in fact she is not. A couple of early season weeds are called "hen bit" and "chick weed"... can you guess how they got that name.


hen bit




chickweed

 

[LBKS]

hen bit

So that's what that was! I had what was seriously like 100 sq. ft. of this right outside my first coop and it was eaten up by the chickens so fast and with such fervor that it never grew back. Still have oodles of clover and various other plants in the mix, but this has been utterly removed from the pasture they can reach.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

So that's what that was! I had what was seriously like 100 sq. ft. of this right outside my first coop and it was eaten up by the chickens so fast and with such fervor that it never grew back. Still have oodles of clover and various other plants in the mix, but this has been utterly removed from the pasture they can reach.

All is not lost. Hen bit is a cool season forb it may return in the spring. Clover also doesn't like it hot and dry

 

[centrarchid]

Some clovers handle hot and dry reasonably well but often employ toxins (cyanide) to discourage herbivores. Where you are located is important for clovers.

 

[MysteriaSdrassa]

If it's green,, mine will eat it,,, lol. They are particularly fond of white clover tho. it is high in protein 20-22% and doesn't grow to tall,, great for chickens,, i had my pasture seeded with it