what kind of greens do you feed your flock for winter.

[aoxa]

Quote:
Canned peas are not good for them> Way too much sodium. I suggest switching over to frozen. It's easier too

My girls are HUGE fans of peas!

 

[erinszoo]

I give whatever vegie scraps I have from my kitchen, usually salad stuff like lettuce and broccoli. We also are sprouting wheat for them. We let it grow til it's about 6 inches high and then feed them the greens. I'm going to look into the alfalfa cubes though. And we have a greenhouse where I planted a bed of leaf lettuce for them. I don't feed them iceberg lettuce as it doesn't have much nutritional value but rather romaines and the leaf lettuce mixes. They also like apples and oranges.

 

[bucky52]

thanks for all your imput.they won't eat cabbage, apples, dried cranberries cucumbers,tomatoes even tried alfalfa pellets, i did soak in warm water until soft. or bannas they are very spoiled and picky.i do buy the frozen mixed veggies and heat in the microwave.i will be glad when warm weather is upon us.but than i will have to worry about the heat and the girls.no win situation.

 

[Chemguy]

This year, there is plenty of long grass that is still green. So, they get their fill. We also toss them our broccoli stems and other cutoffs from food prep. My compost pile just doesn't grow like it used to. Whenever we go to get groceries, we check what we call "the rotten fruit rack," and usually find some good greens there (esp. lettuce, $0.25 per head). If cabbage is on sale, we get that sometimes.

I knew that chickens were omnivorous, but I had no idea how ravenous. The'll eat anything!

 

[Chemguy]

Quote:
Not sure if this is true, but are you giving them enough time to get up the courage to try these foods? Sometimes, a new food will sit for hours while my flock eyes it. All it takes is that first peck, then it disappears.

 

[turtlebird]

I used to purchase bagged salad for the ladies, but with all the salmonella outbreaks, I stopped buying winter greens or any produce for the ladies. They have a few storage apples/squash left. Just have to deal with the pale yolks and relish summer eggs when they come

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I grow wheat grass for them. I also give them other sprouts and some alfalfa.

 

[Anna_MN]

I got an alfalfa bale from a friend in exchange for a dozen eggs- it was basically free. I just rip off a hand full about two times a week for them. I also have a little bit of it in the front of their nest box. They like munching on it while they are trying to lay an egg. They also get some romaine lettuce anytime I have leftovers.

 

[allpeepedout]

Quote:
Not sure if this is true, but are you giving them enough time to get up the courage to try these foods? Sometimes, a new food will sit for hours while my flock eyes it. All it takes is that first peck, then it disappears.

I am puzzled by the idea of chickens rejecting such goodies, as they seem like living garbage disposals to me. Mine would kill for ripe tomatoes and apples. However, when mine were chicks, they were leery of trying yogurt, so I sprinkled some crumbles on it to get them started. You might try that. Mine go for the soaked alfalfa pellets over the course of the day, which seems to me the an efficient and inexpensive way to get a lot of high quality greens in them, and I also put down leafy alfalfa hay, like others have said.

 

[nwfl]

wow! you have a picky bunch of birds! my ladies will eat just about anything. even banana peels. im throwing the outside leaves off my chard, broccoli. turnips, beets, lettuces to my ladies. they love tomatos, even green ones.