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Barnyard Buddies:  roughage for hens  |
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prairie_princess
True Blue Farmgirl
613 Posts
Elizabeth
Carpenter
WY
USA
613 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 31 2009 : 10:15:58 AM
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is there anything you can't or should not feed hens as far as plant based scraps are concerned? i've been feeding them lettuce from the garden and they love it! but i want to make sure if there are things that might harm them before it's fed to them... thanks!
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
- Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world."
- Charles Dudley Warner |
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DaisyFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
1646 Posts
Diane
Victoria
BC
Canada
1646 Posts |
Posted - Aug 31 2009 : 10:20:18 AM
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The only thing I've heard is not to feed them anything from the onion family as it will make the eggs taste "off". I don't think I'd feed tomato or eggplant plants as they are members of the nightshade family, but other than that I can't think of anything.
Di
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willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
Posted - Aug 31 2009 : 5:59:24 PM
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I've also heard not to feed raw potato peels especially if they are green because of some kind of toxin. I too avoid onions and garlic for the most part however we do free range and they eat onion grass and I have never tasted "off" eggs.
Farmgirl Sister #17
Blog
www.willowtreecreek.wordpress.com
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Bee Haven Maven
True Blue Farmgirl
1862 Posts
Beverly
Pennsylvania
USA
1862 Posts |
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deeredawn
True Blue Farmgirl
2306 Posts
Dawn
Cordova
TN
USA
2306 Posts |
Posted - Sep 02 2009 : 07:38:58 AM
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I used to work at Meyer Hatchery and we had a list of things to not feed chickens. Among them were raw potato peels as they contain solanine which is toxic to chickens. Another is anything salty as that can be toxic as well. Garlic and onion throw the egg taste off just like Diane said above. Too much corn raises the body tempurature of the birds and can cause over heating issues. I'd save corn for winter time when they need that extra heat. My in laws used to feed them everything like Beverly does. Nothing ever happened to them. I used to joke with my customers that they shouldn't feed them candy cuz it'll rot their teeth. You wouldn't believe the responses I received to that.... ahhh, fun times..... I don't feed my chickens cooked chicken either because it seems....well..... wrong.
Dawn #279
MJ's Heirloom Mavens-QMD
http://harvestthyme.blogspot.com
http://maknfaces.blogspot.com
~I'm rough & tough and I don't wear bloomers~ Nellie Braken 1887 |
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1badmamawolf
True Blue Farmgirl
2199 Posts
Teresa
"Bent Fence Farms"
Ca
USA
2199 Posts |
Posted - Sep 02 2009 : 09:48:43 AM
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I have always fed my chickens potato peels, and never had a problem. I figured if it didn't kill me or mine, it wouldn't kill them.
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
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Mumof3
True Blue Farmgirl
3890 Posts
Karin
Ellenwood
GA
USA
3890 Posts |
Posted - Sep 02 2009 : 09:50:02 AM
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I toss any veg or fruit scraps in for the girls and they love them. They don't get meat products (I agree with Dawn, it just seems wrong) but they do like leftover cooked veggies. I will also toss in some organic grains that I buy at the farmer's market just for them: quinoa, wheat berries, oats- and the heels of whole wheat bread because my family will not eat them. Just a nice little treat every now and then. If the food moldy or turning, the hens don't get it. If I won't eat it, they should not eat it is my thought.
Really, they are a great way to use up and get rid of scraps that you would normally toss in the trash or compost. One way or the other you're going to get a benefit and I like mine in the form of delicious eggs. :)
Karin
Farmgirl Sister
# 18 :)
www.perfectlittlemiracle.blogspot.com
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prairie_princess
True Blue Farmgirl
613 Posts
Elizabeth
Carpenter
WY
USA
613 Posts |
Posted - Sep 02 2009 : 09:51:07 AM
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ha ha! it will rot their teeth! i wouldn't feed them chicken either, but i do feed them their own egg shells after we are done with them... my grandma told me that's what her parents did. strengthens their eggshells like the oyster shells do, i guess. which is good, because we weren't putting the egg shells in the compost because it doesn't break down well enough. so, less trash in the dump!
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
- Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world."
- Charles Dudley Warner |
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Barnyard Buddies: roughage for hens |
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roughage for hens
