What to plant

[Savyjoy]

We just dug up our garden and are looking to
Plant some stuff that we can toss
Over to
The chickens for some fresh snacks!! We have parsley, mint, tomatoes, and broccoli right now that they seem to pick and chose. Any suggestions on what to plant in the garden or along the planter by their coop!?

 

[PioneerChicks]

They'll eat just about anything, but be careful with plants in the nightshade family. Raw potatoes, tomato stems and leaves, and everything else in that family are poisonous to chickens, but just tomatoes are okay. You might want to look up a list of the foods that are poisonous to chickens just to be safe.

It's great that you are feeding your chickens with your garden! Have fun and have a great day!

 

[CindyinSD]

I’ve been reading that they love bamboo leaves. Just be sure to choose a non-invasive variety.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Mine like nibbling on carrot greens (and you can pull up the carrots and eat them yourself later). They also love strawberries (you can eat the nice ripe ones yourself, let them have any imperfect or slug chewed ones).

 

[leighks]

Mine love kale, blueberries, cukes, pumpkins and sunflower seeds (after drying out)

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

We just dug up our garden and are looking to
Plant some stuff that we can toss
Over to
The chickens for some fresh snacks!! We have parsley, mint, tomatoes, and broccoli right now that they seem to pick and chose. Any suggestions on what to plant in the garden or along the planter by their coop!?

The good news is that a list of good post-harvest cover-crops and a list of plants that chickens love to snack on has a LOT of overlap!

There are four classes of cover crops*:

• grasses (such as ryegrass or barley)
• legumes (such as alfalfa or clover),
• brassicas (such as radishes or turnips)
• non-legume broadleaves (such as spinach or flax)

Planting any of the above would be great for your soil AND your chickens!

* - source: https://www.cropnutrition.com/resource-library/cover-crops-type-makes-a-difference

 

[Soy Milano]

Here is a list of 'safe' plants to have around chickens - http://www.poultrydvm.com/nontoxic.php

 

[NancyNurseCxMama]

Mine go crazy for nasturtium leaves. I plant three 24" pots next to their run---eight seeds to each pot. Very easy to grow. Pretty too. Be sure to get the shorter ones, not the vining ones. I like the Burpee Jewel Mix---orange, yellow, red.

 

[David61]

Collard greens. You pick the outside leaf's and leave the center cluster of leaf's to grow. The plant will keep making leafs. Out of all the greens my chickens can get to the collards greens are like candy to them. I don't let them near the plant or its just a nub after they jump on the greens. I pick some to cook for me and feed them what I don't need. I pick off my greens about every three weeks Nov-March.

 

[Ratchnick]

Maybe aramath or quinoa?