[moonwolf]

Do you feed your poultry, especially layer hens, much greens in their diet? In summer I like the eating clover and
stuff like nettles I chop to add as greenfeed.
In winter, I think it improves egg taste and quality to give
spouted greens. Lately, I'm trying to soak chopped leafy
alfalfa to supplement. So far, they've been chowing down
on that and field pea sprouts.

Here some pics of greens I've been trying for some addition to winter chicken (and also geese, ducks, chukars,pheasants)

Chopped alfalfa hay up in 2 inch chunks


Soak with water. My black australorps digging in surprising how much they enjoyed that:



They like a bit of sprouted field peas also:


I've got some black oil sunflower seeds to sprout. Here a
couple days in:


Some sprouting wheat showing roots poking out at 2 days. It should be grassy green about a week;


Also got some oats soaking for the rotation.

 

[elkhound]

one thing i have had great success with in recent past is feeding turnips..tops along with bottoms....my chickens really done the best they ever have feeding them.dispite the book saying they are low in food value.this super cold put a hurt on the greens...i been making pesto from them too.now a whole month of garden green eating has gone down the tubes unless the can bounce back a bit.

one thing i noticed in my chickens is they like plantain...just a few days ago i was watching them search it out and devour it.in past year i have been able to free range my chickens the most ever...so far so good.

3 of my hens i hatcheted out...they were crossed on RIR hens,speckled sussex hens or those part RIR production hens with a pure RIR roo.the guy had 3 type hens with one roo and i just hatched them.they are by far the best hens i ever had....the white hen is a bought one and aint much of a layer....the roo is a dark cornish and i hope to hatch a cross out by him come spring.

the one blonde hen look buff but she is cross i mentioned.

 

[moonwolf]

I was wondering if turnips affect the egg flavour?

Today I had some carrot and potato peels tossed to a flock for
that bit of 'extra'.
This summer I fed quite a bit of nettles as Greenfeed to the
Geese flock. Got the idea reading a German poultry raising guide.
All my birds seem to really like that.

Yes, elkhound I picked some plantain mixed with dandelion
greens the birds like.

I'm so fond of the black australorps I hatched a lot to add
For my laying flock. Hardy and easy in the barn...tame.Excellent
foragers in the summer yard around the stead. I want to
breed with white leghorn next spring for austra whites....supposed
to be very docile laying white eggs. See how that goes. Don't
want to count my chicks before they hatch! ��

 

[elkhound]

couldnt tell any effects taste wise from turnips.

 

[tambo]

I can't let my chickens out because everyone that moves out here has to get 5 dogs a piece to let roam the countryside. I have been feeding mine layer pellets and turnips and turnipgreens. I did buy some whole corn for them this week.

ETA: In the summer I give them grass clippings,chickweed and different things. I would like to grow enough worms in my worm tote to feed to them one day.

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

I did buy some whole corn for them this week.

Maybe you are doing this already, but I'm buying shelled corn at about 10 cents per pound in bulk 55 gallon drums. I'm going to try to hammer mine along with some hay and cotton seed meal to make livestock feed. My brother (and a neighbor) just want to crack some corn for their chickens. When they're not laying, they can feed the cracked corn for about 40% of what they are paying for laying mash/pellets.

 

[tambo]

I bought a 40lb bag for $4.99. I need to go back and get some more.

 

[cindilu]

Really enjoying this thread, thank you for all the wonderful ideas.