what types of plants to grow for my chickens?

[ChestnutRidge]

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I don't know about pecans (I would guess that they would eat them if the shells were cracked open enough), but mine LOVE apples!

 

[bmiss]

i'll take some pics once i get things up and going...

 

[kuntrychick]

I've never planted a winter garden, but have always wanted to. Is it too late to plant a small winter garden? And I'm not even sure what all grows in the winter.

 

[bertman]

I was buying pea greens from a local organic farmer so I could give them to my pullets as a treat. He informed me that pea greens will grow in the winter and are easy to grow. Clay Mudd says the birds will not destroy the plant. I'm not a farmer so I don't know.

 

[7L Farm]

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Yes, its too late. The plants need to get established before it freezes.

 

[Tracy the chick]

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Hi mine live in an apple orchard surrounded by apple trees, Victoria Plum trees, rose hip bushes & lots of nettles which they love.. We have elderberry trees but sometimes we pull them out as too much will give them sore tummys.. Ive never give my chickens any left overs only whats natural to them... Good luck with planting lol .xx

 

[Clay Mudd]

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I should have qualified that to say "as long as there's plenty of other green forage." I planted iron&clay peas and buckwheat in the spring and summer, and kept the chickens out of them until the plants were about a foot high. That worked out well... they'd nibble a few leaves, then wander off to scratch under a tree. On the other hand, they would have destroyed the fodder radishes I grew in the fall if I let them.

Basically, the more plants you have in relation to the number of chickens, the better.

 

[TinyBirds]

I seemed to fail at every gardening adventure, until I started to plant kale, kale, and more kale. It's the only thing so far I've had success with since it grows super fast (nice big sturdy leaves) and the deer don't seem to bother it as much as they do other things I've tried. My chickens love it! I plan to plant even more tomorrow and hopefully it will still sprout in an area the chickens have turned to dirt (I'm keeping them in a pen until it gets established). I think in the south (here in Texas for example) it's okay to plant kale any time in fall/winter up to around Feb. It rarely gets below freezing here, and I think kale can even survive down to 8 degrees once established. I'll be sad once it gets hot again and the chickens can't have their daily kale treat! In the summer I have to go around gathering grape leaves for them from the wild grape plants that grow all over the roadside trees and fences here in summer.

 

[kcwazzu]

Mine really like zucchini. Easy to grow to excess. I just toss in the overgrown ones and they go to town.
Keith

 

[Chickie'sMoma]

greens. lots and lots of greens!

mine ravaged the kale that came back this year! spinach is always good for the extra vitamins! if you can find them look for Mangel beets (also known as fodder beets). not many places carry them locally but there are a few seed companies that have started carrying them. the birds will enjoy the tops while the root is growing, the roots can get to about 20 lbs! there are also some carrots that can be used as fodder since they will get very big. lots of lettuce like the leaf kinds are good. zucchini are good but the yellow summer squash they seem to avoid. pumpkins are always a staple for them during the fall! the seeds will act like a de-wormer. (does not kill the worms but will make them paralyzed and help flush them out of the system). they will eat a lot of fruits like apples, peaches (without the pits), strawberries, black berries. and just about anything you could or would eat from your garden!

oh, GARLIC!!! though you need to plant this in the fall. my girls go crazy over the tops when they sprout up in the spring! another one good for de-worming if given in moderation!