What grass can and cannot be given to chickens and laying hens: the best diet what grass can and cannot be given to chickens and laying hens
Proper nutrition is considered the basis of competent chicken care. From late spring to early autumn, half of their diet consists of vegetables, fruits and grass. However, not every plant is equally useful for such birds. When eating the wrong foods, there is a risk of serious nutritional problems, including poisoning and even death. That's why it's so important to know what kind of grass you can give to chickens and laying hens, and what kind you can't.
Allowed herbs
Today there are quite a lot of plants that can be used in the diet of laying hens.
Nettle
This plant is allowed to be given to chickens almost from birth - already 3-4 days after birth. The introduction of nettle into the diet of adult birds favorably affects their egg production. At the same time, their eggs become tastier and larger.
This is due to the variety of chemical components in the composition. The maximum content of nutrients is present in young nettles. She is also the most poignant. Therefore, it is recommended to knead the plant well with your hands. This must be done with gloves.
Dried nettle is considered no less useful. It must be harvested during the season and mixed into the feed in the winter. Small chickens need to be given a crushed plant. It is added to a mixture of boiled eggs and cottage cheese. Birds 1.5-2 weeks old are given greens mixed with carrots and boiled potatoes.
Expert opinionZarechny Maxim ValerievichAgronomist with 12 years of experience. Our best gardening expert.Ask a QuestionAdult chickens that live in a pen or coop need to systematically hang small bunches of nettles. This will encourage them to jump and stimulate motor activity. Due to this, it will be possible to increase the parameters of egg production. Similar actions are recommended to be done with other plants from the list.Woodlice
This plant is popularly known as bird lettuce. Indeed, woodlice for chickens is an analogue of leaf lettuce for humans. It has a delicate, neutral-tasting green that doesn't roughen all season.
Chickens should be given woodlouse almost from birth. This plant has a good effect on the state of the immune system, stimulates metabolic processes and helps prevent the development of pathologies of the digestive system.
An important advantage is the availability of the plant throughout the season. Fresh greens appear already in the first half of May. In addition, it continues to grow until October or November - it depends on the season.
Highlander
This plant has many other names - ant, goose, knotweed. The name contains an indication that the plant can be used for birds. Laying hens are very fond of bird mountaineer. Young greens can be eaten by people. They have a neutral and slightly astringent taste. Because greens are often used to make salads.
Culture is found in places where the earth is heavily trampled to the very foundation. The grass spreads over the surface of the earth, forming a dense thick carpet. However, it is important to consider that there is a similar plant called smooth hernia. It is a poisonous crop that most often lives along roadsides and in rocky ground. However, sometimes the plant is also found in yards.
Oval leaves are characteristic of the hernia, while the knotweed has more elongated ones. Many people find it difficult to distinguish plants. Therefore, in the absence of clear confidence, it is better not to give greens to chickens.
Clover
Summer residents use this crop as lawn grass. It is also a perennial green manure. For rural residents, alfalfa is a valuable fodder crop. It belongs to the legume family. This plant contains a lot of protein. At the same time, it has a neutral taste.
Lupins are considered an exception in this family. Many varieties of this culture contain the dangerous alkaloid lupinine. Because people who are poorly versed in the varieties of this crop, it is better not to use it.
Clover foliage is loved by different animals and birds - not only chickens, but also piglets, horses, rabbits, cows, geese. Due to the significant amount of protein in the composition, legumes lead to rapid weight gain. Therefore, these herbs are useful when feeding poultry for meat.
Pink clover or alfalfa can be sown on a small plot of land.This will make it possible to mow grass every few days to feed laying hens or other farm animals. After 6-8 years, this bed can be plowed up and used for sowing garden crops. Such a site will be saturated with nitrogen and loosened by the roots of perennials.
Plantain
Chickens prefer crushed plantain rather than whole leaves and inflorescences. It is permissible to add it to the menu of chickens from 10 days old. Plantain is characterized by juicy greens and neutral taste.
This plant has strong bactericidal and anti-inflammatory properties. Plantain is important for the development and strengthening of the skeleton. In addition, the plant will help chickens lay eggs with a strong shell.
Dream
This is a rhizomatous perennial plant that is almost impossible to eliminate. It is rapidly spreading and capturing more and more new places.Snot develops well in shady areas with fertile soil. It forms a dense, ankle-high carpet. The plant has dissected foliage similar to crimson.
With the development of sleepweed in the garden, you should not immediately destroy it. This herb is not only edible, but also very tasty. Young greens are recommended to be fried, stewed or put in soups. The plant contains a lot of protein and vitamin C.
Expert opinionZarechny Maxim ValerievichAgronomist with 12 years of experience. Our best gardening expert.Ask a QuestionLaying hens are very fond of this beautiful grass. Of course, the young gout is considered the most useful, which has glossy leaves of rich green color. However, poultry pecks well and coarse sprouts. Due to the content of potassium and calcium in the composition of the gout, it is possible to increase the egg production of chickens. Boron, copper, iron and manganese, which are in the composition, produce a general strengthening effect.Squinoa, amaranth, American
Quinoa and amaranth are known to every gardener. These are the most common weeds that grow in garden beds. Even with systematic weeding, the sprouts sprout again and again. In the middle of summer, the gazinzoga, also called the American, begins to grow. This plant is also an annual, but spreads very quickly.
The listed plants are considered edible. They do not have a very pleasant taste, because they were consumed exclusively in the famine years. Most often, seeds were used for this. They were crushed and put into flour. Young quinoa leaves are usually put in summer cabbage soup. They contain many vitamins and have a high nutritional value. The plant is often used as feed for chickens as it promotes their development.
The leaves of amaranth resemble spinach, but have a somewhat coarser texture. These crops belong to the same Amaranth family. It is worth noting that the foliage and seeds of amaranth are also permissible to eat.Its seeds resemble quinoa, which belongs to the same family.
Galinzoga is a very valuable plant, which is still rarely eaten. This weed contains a large amount of vitamin C. It also contains flavonoids, inulin, and valuable amino acids. American has a neutral grassy taste.
Thus, weed grass that summer residents destroy in the garden can be used as bird food. Young greens will definitely appeal to laying hens. At the same time, overgrown weeds can be used as a source of seeds for birds.
tansy, yarrow, coltsfoot, burdock, spurge
Such plants must be used very carefully. For example, spurge is considered toxic to pigs, horses, and cattle. Laying hens are allowed to give it in limited quantities. This plant has an anthelmintic effect.
Most bitter-tasting medicinal crops help control parasites. Chickens are allowed to give yarrow and tansy in limited quantities. The coltsfoot provides a boost to the immune system of the birds. It makes them more resistant to pathologies of the respiratory system. Burdock leaves have a good effect on digestive functions and cleanse the body of toxins from the body of layers.
What not to give
There are quite a few plants that are categorically contraindicated for chickens. They belong to different families.
Umbrella
Wild crops from this family are considered the most dangerous for birds. These plants contain powerful neurotoxins. Even the smallest amount of dangerous greens, which, through negligence, gets into the feed, can be fatal. If the juice of plants is on the skin, it will provoke human poisoning.
Cicut or poisonous milestone is found in wet places and swamps.Also, this grass grows on the banks of rivers and directly in the water. In appearance and smell, this culture resembles parsley. At the same time, flower umbrellas can be confused with carrots. The roots and stems of the crop contain a dangerous poison called cicutotoxin.
Kokorysh and spotted hemlock are widely distributed. They are found in fields and gardens. These plants are similar in appearance to parsley. At the same time, hemlock is popularly called wild parsley, while kokorysh is called dog parsley. Young plants differ from useful greens in an unusual mouse smell. Hemlock and bark contain a powerful neurotoxin called koniin. This substance provokes the onset of paralysis.
Buttercups
All plants from this family are considered very toxic. They often grow in flower beds, so they are not usually used as laying hen food. But there are also wild specimens. These include marigolds, bathing suits and buttercups.
The popular name for buttercup is night blindness. It contains a toxic substance that has an irritating effect on the mucous membranes. Representatives of the Buttercup family include hellebore, nigella, adonis, aquilegia. They also include aconite and delphinium. They contain alkaloids, which are comparable in intensity to the common toxin curara.
Foxglove also has toxic properties. She belongs to a different family. However, in flowerbeds, the plant is often planted near aconite and delphinium.
Poppies
These cultures are distinguished by pronounced narcotic characteristics. It is forbidden to grow them, because the self-seeded poppy is not found in summer cottages. However, not everyone knows that milky poppy juice is poisonous. This category also includes the well-known celandine plant. Plants are distinguished by yellow milky juice and provoke severe intoxication in birds and animals.
Lilies
All parts of this family are considered highly poisonous. The leaves and bulbs of narcissus resemble greens and heads of garlic. If you give them to chickens, there is a high probability of severe poisoning.
Hellebore is usually found in the forest. If the plant enters the site, it should be destroyed or moved to a flower garden. The culture has decorative leaves resembling a lily of the valley. However, they contain a strong alkaloid. In a small dose, the substance provokes vomiting. In severe cases, intoxication is fatal.
Feeding hens and chicks is considered an important part of caring for them. In order not to harm the birds, it is important to read the list of allowed and prohibited herbs.
