Many chicken keepers are devouring gardeners , and when our gardens are produce , we want to share the copiousness with our feathered friends by feeding them the surplusage . But then we stop and wonder whether the plants are really near for them — or might they be health hazard ? Are all the parts of the plants good for poultry or should some persona be avert ?
In the not - so - distant past , feeding the spate from the garden was take for granted . But today , most chicken owners feed their quite a little commercially mixed and bagged provender . These premixed and balanced ration are a moderately recent development , and prior to about 100 year ago , they did n’t exist . Back then , Gallus gallus lived off of what they could forage from the farmyard , and that typically admit garden plant . Supplementing the flocks ’ dieting with garden leafy vegetable was a centuries - old practice , and the greens that are good for them were well understood .
In our era , we may need to relearn which greens make adept poulet food , but the good news is that they have n’t really changed . Thankfully , there are only a few garden plants that should not be feed to chicken or that should be run in moderation .
Basic Chicken Gardening Guidelines
In cosmopolitan , garden vegetables that we consider to be healthy for us to use up are also healthy for chickens to eat . But if your chickens are customary to commercial-grade provender , then it ’s best at first to commence offering them garden greens later in the twenty-four hour period after they ’ve fulfilled their dietary requirement by eat up the commercial admixture .
Also , it ’s a sound idea to start introducing wide-ranging cannon fodder from the garden a little at a metre : It ’s never good to make drastic changes in any stock - feeding regime . Up to about 20 per centum of a crybaby ’s diet can be replaced with greens ; however , most of their intellectual nourishment should still come from a balanced ration to insure they get sufficient protein and nutrients .
These recommendations for feed common garden industrial plant to chicken are grouped by plant family because plant within the same families tend to share characteristics that make them more or less desirable as wimp cannon fodder . That way , even if the specific plant you ’re concerned in alimentation is not listed , you’re able to begin to distinguish whether that plant might make good chicken food based on its family . For illustration , if you were considering feeding a plant that ’s from the Solanaceae family , you might want to reconsider , because those plants are generally not in force selection for Gallus gallus feed .
Note that when sharing your garden excess with your poulet , conceive bringing the plant to the chickens rather than the chickens to the garden . A few chicken can crush a garden in light order and will faithfully start on your most prized crop first .
Great Crops For Your Chickens
Supplement your flock ’s unconstipated feed with some of the following garden favorites .
Cucurbitaceae Family
The vegetables from this kin — all of the summertime and winter squashes , cucumber , cantaloupe , watermelon and gourds — are all first-class sources of aliment and hydration , and a raw enteric dewormer for your pot . pumpkin and winter squash rackets can also be cured and stored so that they can be fed to the flock throughout the wintertime months .
Janet Garman , former provender - stock owner , sodbuster and author ofChickens from Scratch(2015 ) , advises that when gardening with chickens in mind , there are some veg that really help further the snort ’ nutritionary inlet .
“ Pumpkins are an specially good superfood , ” she says . “ They ’re a great beginning of beta - carotene and antioxidant . decidedly grow extra pumpkins in your garden , just for your flock . ”
Leguminosae Family
These vegetable place second only to grains as our most important food source . As such , invigorated immature beans and pea are nutritious and fun treats for chicken , and the entire plant can be fed to them . However , uncooked ironic edible bean should be avoided as they contain hemagglutin , a toxin poisonous to chickens .
Gramineae Family
The original kale , Zea mays can be used to flow chickens on the farm . It ’s gamy in carbohydrates , but it ’s also low in protein and nutritional value , so it ’s good to fee in moderation . The whole corn cob with either fresh or dried kernels confiscate can be feed to chicken , whereas the plants themselves are adept as improver to the compost agglomerate . ( The total flora is comestible but the stringy farewell can become a trouble in a birds ’ crop . )
Umbelliferae Family
This crime syndicate is very turgid and includes herb , such as dill , Petroselinum crispum and Chinese parsley , as well as mutual plant that have umbrella - shaped peak . Chickens tend to love the plants from this family ( both the tops and root ) , and the vegetable and herb variety are serious for them .
Compositae Family
This phratry is often thought of as the salad family , but it also includes Jerusalem artichokes and helianthus . All of these flora are nutritious , and they make great additions to chicken ’ diet . Sunflowers can also be dried and saved to use for dainty and promote exercise in the winter chicken cage .
Poisonous Plants To Avoid
Some garden vegetables are well left on your dental plate and out of the coop . While they are certainly nutrient for you , they can be downright mortal for chickens .
Solanaceae Family (aka nightshades):
According to Maat van Uitert , author ofChickens : by nature raise a Sustainable Flock(2015 ) and creator of the pop blog “ FrugalChicken , ” you should always deflect alimentation potatoes that have sprouted or been left in the Dominicus .
“ The skins might have developed solanine , which is mildly poisonous to people , but potentially very poisonous for Gallus gallus , ” she warn . “ If the potato skin have plow fleeceable , then you know to stave off eat them . ”
The vine and immature yield of tomato plant , eggplants and pepper plant may also hold toxic quantity of solanine and should not be fed to chickens . Because it ’s difficult to say how much solanine the members of the nightshade family might hold , we do n’t feed any of this family of vegetables to our volaille .
Polygonaceae Family
“ Something else to avert feed your crybaby is rhubarb , which contains gamey levels of oxalic acid , ” van Uitert says . “ Oxalic acid can prevent atomic number 20 absorption , leading to os issues ; nutrient imbalance ; and potential problems with eggshell tone . ”
pieplant folio are also toxic to human race : Only the leaf stalks should be consumed by humans because they arrest minimal quantities of oxalic acid .
Amaryllidaceae Family
Onions contain a gist call thiosulphate , which can have anaemia in livestock and chicken . Onions can also bear on the taste of the orchis — and not in a honorable way!—so feed onions to chickens is not recommended .
Plant With Caution
The following veg should be tested first and fed only in limited quantities .
Brassicaceae Family
We all hump that the appendage of the brassica family are nutritionary powerhouse for humans , and it ’s loosely no unlike for our feathered protagonist . However , these plants contain glucosinolates , which can be toxic to livestock . These toxins are found in the large quantities in the seeds and immature plants of these vegetables , and significant measure of these must typically be eaten to cause problems , so feed the mature plant ( and not germ ) is generally consider secure for healthy wimp peck . All of the genus Brassica can be feed raw .
Chenopodiaceae Family
This family line is love for being nutritious , and occasionally feeding Gallus gallus leafy greens is a healthy goody . However , too much of some can be sorry .
“ Swiss chard , spinach and beet commons all hold oxalic acid , which binds with Ca when consume by the flock and can lead to Ca lack , ” Garmen says . beetroot , instead , are very nutritive and make large wimp fodder . Mangel Beta vulgaris , in special , have been grown and used as chicken food for hundred .
Herbs For Birds
Just as many of our vegetables are good for our crybaby , so are many of ourherbs . Lavender , quite a little and oregano are all well-situated - to - grow perennials that are favorites for enhancing passel health . They can be scattered in the chicken coop and nesting box seat or mix into your flocks ’ rations . They also facilitate to repel parasite and insects . And mint and oregano grow so prolifically that they are often consider invasive , which stool them thoroughgoing additions for maturate in a chicken run : The chickens will be happy to help check their invasive nature .
Lavender
The flowers and leafage of lavender make terrific aromatic additions to chicken coops and nesting box . Lavender is recognise for being a lifelike insect powder and stress - reliever , as well as promoting safe circulation . It favor full Lord’s Day and dry grease ( avoid wet theme ) , and all parts of the plant life can be dried and used in the henhouse during the winter month .
Mint
Another extremely aromatic addition to the coop , mint is also a good insecticide , as well as rodent repellant . There are many varieties of peck available , such as spearmint , peppermint and catmint . All of the mints are very gentle to uprise if plant in full Lord’s Day and well - drain soil , and they tend to spread rapidly . The leaves of this herb are expert for dry out and using throughout the wintertime months in the chicken coop .
Oregano
Another redolent herb that is see an insect powder and instinctive antibiotic for chickens , oregano is pack with vitamin and is think to help combat many domestic fowl diseases ( such as coccidiosis , infectious bronchitis , etc . ) . It ’s very easy to uprise in full sun and well - drained soil , and the leaves can be used fresh or dried throughout the twelvemonth to promote poulet health .
With a few exceptions , the greens and vegetables grown in our gardens are fantabulous fodder for poulet . Used in moderation , they are a nutritive dietary addition and will raise the health of your spate . It ’s no coincidence that the egg vitellus from free - roam backyard flock are richer in colour and tastier than supermarket testicle . The special vitamins they get from the plants in their diet make for adept eggs . So let in surplus Green and veg — of the appropriate types — from your garden in your flocks ’ diet .
This clause originally come out in the July / August 2016 issue ofChickens .
