Yummy food for chickens

[MsWildFlower]

Sorry if this has been asked again and again ...

I have three chickens in a fairly large coop - around 10 by 5 metres. I feed them food scraps and commerical chicken pellets twice a day. If I find any snails or slugs then I fling them there way as well.

I was just wondering what else I could plant for them in their coop. I have some purslane growing under a mesh at the moment but they don't actually appear to be interested in eating it.

They were free-ranging around our entire property but I got thoroughly sick or trapsing in chicken poo and they got in the house a few times and pooed ... I do plan on building a chicken tractor so they can have some adventures elsewhere in the garden ...it's on the rather long 'to do' list . I was also putting them in my vege garden to clear out areas but two of the rotters kept getting out. Houdini-chickens they are.

TIA
Sue

[glenniedragon]

whatever you plant in an area that size they will destroy....ours are persistant even working apparently co-operatively to destroy vegetation! if you want something for shade then you could perhaps try something prickly to deter the feathered vandals! perhaps with only three you might get away with it! what breed are they- my light sussex girls are the most vigourous diggers I've ever known.......
kind thoughts
Deb

[sonymee]

Sorry if this has been asked again and again ...

I have three chickens in a fairly large coop - around 10 by 5 metres. I feed them food scraps and commerical chicken pellets twice a day. If I find any snails or slugs then I fling them there way as well.

I was just wondering what else I could plant for them in their coop. I have some purslane growing under a mesh at the moment but they don't actually appear to be interested in eating it.

They were free-ranging around our entire property but I got thoroughly sick or trapsing in chicken poo and they got in the house a few times and pooed ... I do plan on building a chicken tractor so they can have some adventures elsewhere in the garden ...it's on the rather long 'to do' list . I was also putting them in my vege garden to clear out areas but two of the rotters kept getting out. Houdini-chickens they are.

TIA
Sue

The area is not huge. Why not chuck bales of straw in there which they poo into and scratch among which can later be composted,but before that happens, chuck a handful of grain in in the morning and they spend all day long scratching about looking for lost grains. Keeps them occupied all day. They chuck a whole cabbage or a couple of whole apples in. Both help their immune system and are fairly cheap to buy locally grown .

[Annpan]

I read today that you can suspend a turnip or swede in their run for them to peck at... keeps things interesting I guess.

[MsWildFlower]

Some great ideas, thanks! I do throw in some grass when the lawns have been cut, hadn't thought about hay/straw though and I love the turnip idea. Keep 'em coming!

[Millymollymandy]

Whatever kind of greens your hens like (mine love spinach beet) - pick some leaves, suspend on a string from the fencing so they can peck at them to keep them amused.

Mine dig to Australia as well. Their runs are a complete mess and only about 50% grass left! A lot of the chicken runs I see whilst travelling around are just bare earth.

[Thomzo]

My run is just bare earth. It gets pretty muddy in there at this time of year. I threw in all the fallen leaves in the autumn and often throw in the prunings from the garden. Even if they don't eat them they will scratch them and climb over the woody bits. I do throw their veg peelings out there rather than serve them inside. Less smelly and makes them scratch outside.

Zoe

[mauzi]

Quote - Mine dig to Australia as well


Millymollymandy - what do you breed, I'll keep an eye out. [/quote]

[Millymollymandy]

Actually I feel sorry for the girls, I'd like to let them out to have fun in the garden, but we've just tidied up the flower beds, re-edged them and spread compost so it is NOT a good time to let them out cos I know what a mess they will make!

[MsWildFlower]

Actually I feel sorry for the girls, I'd like to let them out to have fun in the garden, but we've just tidied up the flower beds, re-edged them and spread compost so it is NOT a good time to let them out cos I know what a mess they will make!

Yeah! I feel sorry for my girls as well.

[kimmie]

we hang cabbages or greens just a little high....they seem to love it! plus its funny ...love watching them jump, flap their wings, to reach them...they always manage to strip them bare ..leaving the stalks and core which the goats love too!!

[godfreyrob]

I started off with thick grass and the hens have stripped it bare.

So I have divided the area into 3 runs plus a small run outside each pop-hole (I have two groups of hens). The idea is to let the runs recover and then let the girls out in a more controlled way. They always have access to the smaller runs (each is about 12x12 feet).

I am also planting stuff like comfrey, dandelions, elder, etc so they can get a variety other than just grass.

[Millymollymandy]

That's similar to what I did otherwise I would have completely bare earth by now I reckon.

At least I have loads of perennial wildflowers that come thru and flower beautifully in the summer, attracting lots of insects for the hens to run around chasing!

[Annpan]

All this talk is making me jealous.

I hope to get chickens around Easter time

They can scratch all the grass that they like, I have a large and unwieldy grassy area in my garden.

Chook tractor is in the planning stage

[MsWildFlower]

... I have three chickens in a fairly large coop - around 10 by 5 metres. ...

The area is not huge.

Oh, I thought it was a fairly decent sized coop? It would be about 32 feet by 16 feet or something like that (used an online conversion thingee). Is that considered small ... thinking how to extend it if it is!