which herbs will chickens eat?

[AndysHomestead]

i have several different herb seeds....and im wondring which ones chickens will love to eat....


i have:
- basil (3 types)
- dill (2 types)
- catnip
- thyme
- cilantro
- parsley (2 types)
- chives
- oregano
- tarragon

which ones do they eat out of these? anyone?

 

[galanie]

Mine never really cared for parsley. They won't bother rosemary. They will eat sage. And the little ones sit on top of the thyme. Sometimes one will nibble at the basil but it's not a favorite.

 

[AndysHomestead]

^thank you.

 

[carol-ann]

i offered my girls some rosemary and fennel. they turned their beaks up!!!

its the ONLY thing that they havent eaten. anything i have introduced has been greedily dispatched.

(but i did throw in some basil and that seemed to go well)

carol

 

[AndysHomestead]

thanks, carol ann

 

[overthetop]

Forget the herbs entirely - just plant some lettuce!!! We cannot keep the girls and/or the "Man" Gideon out of the lettuce!!! They walk right past beautiful dill, lemon balm, parsely, tarragon, rosemary, mint, and I even put some of the last of the basil in their run (basil can't take even the slightest cool breeze sadly, so I've pulled it up already...) - but the lettuce!! OMG - just plant lettuce and watch them go wild!!!! Depending on where you live, you might even be able to throw some lettuce seed out now....
I've also read that they love Swiss Chard. Haven't tried that yet tho....

 

[ginnychick]

This is a bit late, but my "girls" ADORE dill! I have tried fennel, basil, parsely... even lettuces - but dill is their absolute favorite.

 

[Chainsawgrandma]

We just moved into a new house where the lemon mint (lemon balm) grows like crazy. The chickens will reach through the fence to get at it. They have lots of grass and earthworms to graze on, but when I toss in a gob of lemon mint, they go into a feeding frenzy. They love the greens. They get regular feed and an assortment of that to choose from, but throw in a clump and it turns the chicken yard into a madhouse!

 

[fuentemoon]

I have tons of lemon balm too, my girl love to eat a bunch right before bed she will also sneak into the house and eat the dried catnip out of the cat scratchers :/ We have only had her this winter so she hasn't experienced the garden season yet And the littles haven't moved outside full time yet either. looking forward to warmer weather!

 

[Slike]

God help you if they find access to your Dandelion, Marshmallow or Plantain (Plantago species). They seem to be incapable of not pillaging every single leaf off my prized medicinals.