What Greens do chickens like?

[saracarver3]

Collards, Mexican sunflower tree leaves, and romaine - they don’t care for mustards at all. Blueberries and watermelon are their favorite fruit.

 

[happyozarkgirl]

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?

Our girls love dandelion leaves! We don't use weed killer, so I pick fresh leaves daily and chop them up. Sometimes they snatch them out of my hand while I'm gathering them.

 

[Australorp Chook]

Chickweed. Really, LOL.

We have that in our garden, they love it… it isn’t really alive anymore…

 

[Magpiezoe]

Ours love watermelon. We give them the rind with some of the meat of the watermelon on it. We have one hen, who won't go to bed until the rind is picked completely clean! We also give them cantaloupe, tomatoes, and fresh spinach. They also love certain weeds from the garden. Their favorite is the one that looks like clover with little yellow flower and another one that is close to the ground with white flowers. They look forward to us weeding the garden.

 

[lagrange chicks]

My chickens don't free range so they really look forward to grass clippings.

 

[thistlewick]

My chickens free range all day on a 2 acre pasture so they don't really like any of our greens - however, when I bring them our Carolina Rose petals they GOBBLE them up like it's their last day on earth lol they are perfectly bite sized rose petals.

 

[Farmgirl283420]

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?

Maybe chop it into small pieces? My chickens seem to prefer it small if they don’t know what it is. I usually hand feed to get my chickens started and then they gobble it all up!

 

[Perris]

We have, or had, a lot of greenery in the garden, but they’ve eaten most of it

what sort of greenery was that?

Instead of or as well as buying in other things, you could try replacing what you know they ate, fencing it off till it gets established, and then control the chickens' access to it in such a way that it gets chance to rejuvenate (like rotational grazing of pasture).

If there is enough grass for the number of birds eating it, fencing isn't necessary; the chickens will manage the rotation by themselves. Mine have been doing it since 2017, and this shows the lawn yesterday (with a couple of pullets).

 

[micstrachan]

Fun thread! As far as actual greens, mine LOVE kale! They also love zucchini, which I shred with a cheese grater. I swear it helps with eggshells, too. Maybe the manganese? They also like shredded cabbage and carrot. I don’t do carrot as much because they don’t seem to digest them as well. As far as fruit, they are all about tomatoes and blueberries. Fruit is a rare treat for them. Sometimes on hot summer days, I’ll offer cold watermelon or frozen berries served in an inch or so of water. During the months when it’s dark before I get home from work (so they get no weekday range time,) I offen sprout wheat berries for them!

In the winter, the love the oxialis, though I’m not sure it’s good for them.

 

[Squawkers]

what sort of greenery was that?

Instead of or as well as buying in other things, you could try replacing what you know they ate, fencing it off till it gets established, and then control the chickens' access to it in such a way that it gets chance to rejuvenate (like rotational grazing of pasture).

If there is enough grass for the number of birds eating it, fencing isn't necessary; the chickens will manage the rotation by themselves. Mine have been doing it since 2017, and this shows the lawn yesterday (with a couple of pullets).
View attachment 3970894

I love that picture!