What plants are safe for chickens?

[sandypath]

Does anyone know if zinnias are safe for chickens to eat?
My sister has a lot and I have been trying to take notes on what is okay and not bec we just got our first three chickens!
Thank you in advance for any help!

Sandy

 

[gritsar]

My birds no longer free range except under supervision, but back when they did they had 80 acres to range on. Never had a chicken die from eating something they shouldn't have. I am of the opinion that chickens instinctively know what is safe for them to eat and what is not.

 

[LanceTN]

As long as you present them choice a chicken will not eat things that will kill them.

You can let a chicken graze through the remnants of a harvested garden even though any nightshades you planted are toxic to chickens. They will just pick through them and eat the things they want.

Your only danger is in offering them something toxic to the exclusion of other things.

 

[sandypath]

My birds no longer free range except under supervision, but back when they did they had 80 acres to range on. Never had a chicken die from eating something they shouldn't have. I am of the opinion that chickens instinctively know what is safe for them to eat and what is not.

Thank you, Gritsar. This helps a LOT.
I don't have any plants in the place we have them right now other than the marigolds, lemon balm, and pepper plants. I am glad to know they won't eat what will hurt them for the most part!

 

[sandypath]

As long as you present them choice a chicken will not eat things that will kill them.

You can let a chicken graze through the remnants of a harvested garden even though any nightshades you planted are toxic to chickens. They will just pick through them and eat the things they want.

Your only danger is in offering them something toxic to the exclusion of other things.

Thank you, LanceTN! I just saw this reply from you and one other one and I didn't even know the replies were here. I clicked the little box to be notified immediately when others reply but I didn't see anything. So, we are good as long as I don't just pour a bunch of poison things in there and nothing else! I have given them salad greens, carrots, cooked sweet potato skins, apples, yellow bell pepper (not their favorite, for sure) and they went WILD over little, yellow tomatoes. They also ate a bit of cooked oatmeal today!

 

[LanceTN]

The only time I've heard of a chicken eating to it's death involved chickens being given a huge pot of cooked beans.

They ate so much that the beans compacted in their colon. Not because the beans were toxic.

So beware of offering them something in excess.

 

[sandypath]

I have been concerned about amounts. We only have three chickens so when I gave them some cooked oatmeal, I gave about 1 cup for all three. They went crazy over it! No whole pot of beans! Beans - I haven't thought of feeding them those!