What Greens do chickens like?

[Australorp Chook]

Hi again, I’m just wondering what fruit and veggies chickens like to eat. Mine are being a bit picky. We’ve given them lettuce, silver beet, spinach, carrots, cucumber, apple, broccolini and sweet corn and they don’t seem to want any of it. They are sometimes interested in the cucumber and occasionally peck at the spinach, but apart from that they don’t seem interested. We have, or had, a lot of greenery in the garden, but they’ve eaten most of it so we’re trying to supply them with extra. What other greens can we try?

 

[Debbie292d]

Kale is our silkies absolute favorite green!

We have chicken wire around our garden, otherwise they would mow it down.

When it get big, I pick several leaves and hold out a handful of it, and they go nuts. Otherwise, I've bound it with twine and hung it for them to pick off chunks.

 

[WingItRanch]

I've tried a few different garden greens but my chickens absolute favorite green snack is... random weeds around the yard.

 

[NatJ]

Hi again, I’m just wondering what fruit and veggies chickens like to eat. Mine are being a bit picky. We’ve given them lettuce, silver beet, spinach, carrots, cucumber, apple, broccolini and sweet corn and they don’t seem to want any of it. They are sometimes interested in the cucumber and occasionally peck at the spinach, but apart from that they don’t seem interested. We have, or had, a lot of greenery in the garden, but they’ve eaten most of it so we’re trying to supply them with extra. What other greens can we try?

Where are you getting the greens?

I would just give them any greens that are easy for you to get and that you don't have to buy.

You could pick things from your garden or yard (grass, dandelions, etc.)

If you grow greens for yourself, the chickens can have any parts you don't want to eat (because slugs took bites out of the leaves, or the leaf got a bit brown in the sun, or there are more greens than you actually want to eat, or any other reason.)

If you buy them for yourself, again you can give the chickens any part you don't want (like the outer leaves of a lettuce or cabbage head that are often a bit banged up, the peels of bananas and carrots, the peels and cores of apples, etc.)

Personally, I would not buy greens specifically for the chickens. If I eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits myself, I end up with plenty to share with chickens as well.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I offer mine leaves, scraps, and excess from broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce, chard, kale, and spinach. When I can corn they get the corn ear worms, the bad ears, and the cut-offs. When I can beets they get the cooked beet peels since I boil the beets with the skin on. When I make jam or jelly from berries or fruit they get the waste.

Most years they eat them all. Some years they don't eat something but they are not always consistent on what that might be. So try them all and see what yours eat this year.

 

[Barbours]

Hi again, I’m just wondering what fruit and veggies chickens like to eat. Mine are being a bit picky. We’ve given them lettuce, silver beet, spinach, carrots, cucumber, apple, broccolini and sweet corn and they don’t seem to want any of it. They are sometimes interested in the cucumber and occasionally peck at the spinach, but apart from that they don’t seem interested. We have, or had, a lot of greenery in the garden, but they’ve eaten most of it so we’re trying to supply them with extra. What other greens can we try?

Lettes, tomatoes and they like some fruits

 

[tlcmurphy]

Grapes, they go bonkers for grapes!

 

[Logar]

tomatoes are my chickens absolute favorite. Mine also like cabbage, cucumber, squash, and pretty much everything else I have offered. for the cucumber did you cut it in half (long ways) for them

 

[ChicNmom]

In the winter I'll hang a head of lettuce or cabbage for them to peck at. I buy cat grass for my cats and I'll sometime snip it into short pieces and put it in their treat bowl with whatever scraps they are getting. Mine also like spinach.

As the garden dies out I'll pull the broccoli plants and put the whole thing in the coop. I've noticed that when they can get out and get their own greens they usually ignore whatever I've given them. They save that for the time of day they are stuck inside.

 

[Australorp Chook]

tomatoes are my chickens absolute favorite. Mine also like cabbage, cucumber, squash, and pretty much everything else I have offered. for the cucumber did you cut it in half (long ways) for them

We cut it into tiny cubes for them to eat.

Where are you getting the greens?

I would just give them any greens that are easy for you to get and that you don't have to buy.

You could pick things from your garden or yard (grass, dandelions, etc.)

If you grow greens for yourself, the chickens can have any parts you don't want to eat (because slugs took bites out of the leaves, or the leaf got a bit brown in the sun, or there are more greens than you actually want to eat, or any other reason.)

If you buy them for yourself, again you can give the chickens any part you don't want (like the outer leaves of a lettuce or cabbage head that are often a bit banged up, the peels of bananas and carrots, the peels and cores of apples, etc.)

Personally, I would not buy greens specifically for the chickens. If I eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits myself, I end up with plenty to share with chickens as well.

We bought the spinach and the silver beet, but the rest were scraps and leftovers.