Winter is fast approaching and I really want the hens to get some greens in their diet. I only have a dozen hens. I do give them kitchen scraps but don't always have them every single day. I saved a couple bushles of apples from our apple trees. I've got them stored in the bunkhouse. Today we bought a big bag of carrots that are meant for deer food. I don't know if the hens like carrots yet. I just bought them because they were cheap ($4 for a huge heavy bag of them). The lady gave me two big beets to try on the chickens. I said I didn't know if they'd eat them or not. If they like them then I can buy a bag of them. I did buy 4 bales of second cut alfalfa and 2 bales of third cut alfalfa. We have it stored inside the barn to keep it dry. I figure when the ground freezes and the grass all turns brown we'd start throwing some alfalfa in their exercise pen. What do you think? Will they like it? Will it be good for them? I have no idea really.
We normally give them laying mash and cracked corn along with grit. I 've also been giving them a little bit of leftover pond/fish food mixed with sunflower seeds. They seem to eat everything we put in there.
What do you feed your hens in winter?
What do you feed your chickens for "greens" in the winter?
I've had people tell me to chop alfalfa and put it in a container of water for ducks during the winter. I'm sure chickens will eat it too but I'm sure they'd prefer it dry over soup....lol.
Here, the grass is brown during the summer, and very green during the winter, it rarely stays freezing for more than a few days; in fact, my husband cut the lawn this last weekend.
I bought a bale of alfalfa & put it in the coop. While we were finishing the coop I found that there was no problem with them liking it. They nearly tore the bale apart on thier own trying to eat at it. Other than that I get lettuce for mine. I was told to ask at our local grocery store for old produce bc the man that was getting it for his hogs is no longer getting it. I have yet to ask but i need too.
DH plants rye grass for me to feed the ducks and chickens
Thats it I want to be a Loon Chicken...
I get the leftovers from the little market when they make sandwiches, and they love it. I have never tried the alfalfa soaked in water for ducks, I do have alot of loose stuff around the hay stack, I could try that.
We eat a lot of salads year round so our chickens get the scraps of that. Not head lettuce, leaf lettuce.
I also chop up the ends right before the growth stem and feed it to the ducks, they love it. Between the ducks and the chickens there isn't enough though. I'll have to try the alfalfa for the ducks.
I used to throw a flake of alfalfa in per day... they loved it and it kept the egg yolks nice and orange all winter. =0)
Today we took down our fall decorations and hubby busted up two big pumkins on the cement. The hens went crazy for the pumpkins. I mean they were really tearing into it and gobbling it down. If I knew they liked pumpkins so much I would have bought more of them. I'll have to till up some a quarter acre and grow them some next spring. :) I made veggie soup today too so there was lots of veggie scraps for them to eat. They must have thought today was a holiday or something. :)
We got snow last night and the chickens weren't sure what to think of it. They had fun running around in it. Their feet were getting cold though. I watched on bird lift up one foot and hold it up then set it down and lift another foot up. We put the bale of alfalfa out on the pole barn porch and they tore into it. It will stay dry there and they can run over and get whatever they want when we let them out in the afternoon. I just hope the deer don't find it and get into it.