What veggies do chickens like?

[Esc_Quaily]

I don't keep chickens but my ma' does. She sometimes makes what looks like a disgusting concoction of left-over greens and skins/tops, oats, flax seeds/hemp/sunflower hearts. She steams all the ingredients and turns it into a mash. They go mad for it . She also hangs bunches of whole steamed carrots in the coop for the hens to destroy/ peak at.

You're birds sound like they have a fantastic diet full of variety so perhaps they just don't have room for treats? Or maybe they prefer insects to greens? I wouldn't worry about finding a suitable treat because their diet is already good.

 

[Ritakprkns]

I've tried: cored apple, watermelon, pumpkin, well cooked quinoa, spinach, chard, soft tomatoes (think squishy, stem cut out), grapes, peppers, cucumber, black soldier fly larvae, and black oil sunflower seeds. All were enjoyed, haven't tried others yet.

Take a bite of it, they'll go nuts wanting it. Also, if it is hard to peck at without it moving, they will struggle to eat it. Weighted or tied down helps. I use an old hand weight and use a hair tie stretched just barely over the weight onto the handle. Then, I put the greens bundled up in to the hair tie so they can peck at it instead of dragging it when trying to eat, followed by giving up.
Mine will eat significantly less if I cut it up further into anything bigger than diced tomatoes. This is probably because it is slightly too big to eat but is hard to break up when because gravity doesn't do enough. So, now I leave treats in one chunk if I can. You can freeze a treat in ice for the same chunk effect. If you just leave it with them, they won't eat it at first, but then it is all of a sudden gone by the end of the day. For the melons, squashes, berries, etc.: they prefer it to be a little overripe but not to the point they're going bad. Mine prefer it as ripe as it goes. Also, birds have acquired taste too, just like other animals. Give them time to get used to something. Everything you mentioned is a solid treat they should enjoy given time (a day or two) to get used to it. Throwing away, or storing in the fridge, what was left keeps your birds safe from potential mold.

One thing I cannot get my chickens to eat is cutting board scraps (except peeled skin strips) I figured it was because of the awkward sizing of it for them. I also tried peeled banana that was too overripe for my liking once, they each tried it and did not ever come back for seconds. I might need to try the banana again because I have another that I won't eat.

My girls absolutely love cauliflower! Broccoli too. Carrots have to be cooked before they’ll eat them. They love blueberries too! The girls generally love their greens but cauliflower is #1. It’s so funny to see how they react to all types of veggies.

 

[Karen Glatz]

blackberries
hawthorn berries
grape leaves
the inside of banana peels
bananas
figs
cooked chopped carrots
peas frozen in summer and cooked in winter

 

[thecatumbrella]

Someone may have already mentioned this, but many chickens will be reluctant to puncture through fruit/vegetable skin to get to the good stuff. Mine really got into cucumber once I cut it into large chunks, leaving the open ends exposed for pecking. Same with apple (though apple should be a rare treat in small amounts).

For leafy greens, they much prefer something that's tied up and offers resistance. Sounds a little macabre, because it is. They don't want floppy leaves on the ground; they want to rip and tear and destroy. All bushels must be strapped up like a hostage.

Just my experience.

 

[Demarvell]

Yeah, just wondering because at the moment they only eat pellets and scratch mix most of the time (they free range too) and I would like to give them some treats that they actually like sometimes. I’ll try melons, corn was good but I don’t get it much

Free range means they are eating the good bugs, mice and anything else that is natural in their make up. Why eat veggies when you can eat protein/meat?

 

[RoyalChick]

It does somewhat depend on the individual chicken, and in my observation they change their views over time.
Many of the things listed by others that they don’t like or have difficulty with, are things that mine really like: banana, whole pumpkin (doesn’t take them long to work through the skin though I usually do make eyes for them to get started), cabbage as examples.
They used to love apples and apple cores but clearly feel I can offer something better at the moment.
They all love the guts of melons, pumpkins, cucumbers.
Some of mine like tomatoes, others not so much.

 

[rosemarythyme]

For leafy greens, they much prefer something that's tied up and offers resistance. Sounds a little macabre, because it is. They don't want floppy leaves on the ground; they want to rip and tear and destroy. All bushels must be strapped up like a hostage.

Hahaha, I love the visual! Mine get their greens floppy, they don't get a choice. I can't be bothered to tie them up and anything they don't eat will eventually compost in place.

 

[hilda'smom]

Hi, my three hens don’t like any vegetables I've given them, eg. kale, leafy greens, apple, pumpkin etc. . I’d love some suggestions for things that they’d enjoy.
Thanks

mine love cabbages greener the better