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Toots

what a mistake!

By Toots, in Chickens, Eggs and Hatching

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Toots Frequent Layer

Toots

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After sunday lunch i gave the girls their usual veg s"Ooops, word censored!"s including some sprout cuttings and peelings!.

 

The girls now love sprouts, so much so that they have broken into my veg patch and picked of almost all of the lower ones!

 

i caught them at it, they just looked at me as if to say... thank you for telling us about them!!

 

they have never even looked at them till now!

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wiganchooks Chicken Eggspert

wiganchooks

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I thought I had very polite hens when I got them in September as they left my veg patch alone. However once they began to enjoy veg I was giving them (they are ex-batts) they put 2+2 together re the veg patch (or self-service buffet table) all my winter cabbage and cauliflowers went...

 

However they won't touch the leeks!!

 

Anybody got a list of other veg they don't like, so I can plan next year's planting?!

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Angels4 Chatty Chicken

Angels4

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I'm actually thinking of starting sprouting this winter at home. It is very easy to do and with the lack of greeens available to the girls during the winter months I thought sprouting Alfalfa, radish, wheat, red clover and wheat grass would be a nice treat for the girls. I was also thinking of making them a tea with alfalfa and adding that to their water would be a good idea. I also read this during my research and thought I might give it a try.

 

"Alfalfa (or Nettle can be subsituted) as something to give to our birds during the winter months. Especially in the north, where greens are non-existant unless you buy them, and greens are probably limited in the south as well. You can give alfalfa hay as a supplement during the winter, but I feel they don't eat enough of it to make a big enough boost to their system. But tea in their water will give them a concentrated amount that I know they will get. Particularly during harsh weather, this tea helps them tremendously with what the cold weather saps from their energy trying to stay warm. It will boost protein levels which will convert into accessible energy to raise body temps. And, they need the "greens" for their diet to stay balanced. Even once a month it will be of great benefit for your poultry".

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Valkyrie Cocka-doodle-loopy

Valkyrie

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Very interesting Mark. When I went to visit a lady with a cube before we got our girls - that would have been winter/early spring - and her girls loved a cup of tea. Have plenty of red clover because I use it as an underplanting of green manure.

 

Seen the Montana snow on the news - hope you are still fine in your neck of the woods, at least you get a proper winter and a decent summer.

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The Dogmother Eggsistentialist

The Dogmother

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That's interesting Mark, I feed the girls alfalfa (dried) all winter from the time they start to moult. Although they seem happy to eat it in their feed, i tend to pop it in a wet mash to make sure it all gets eaten. It's a brilliant conditioner and the natural colourant in it turns the egg yolks dark orange.

 

They love red clover; Lesley has some on her farm and I always bring back a handful for the bunnies and chooks to eat.

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Chicken Shirl Chatty Chicken

Chicken Shirl

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Alfafa grows here like a weed, and the chooks eat it every evening as part of their routine. They love it. It was an accident that it grew from some seed we scattered one day for the little chicks, we now have a large patch that just keeps coming. :D Must try some red clover. :D We also have a patch of Borrage that they go mad for, and eat all the new tiny plants as they come up, so not an easy one to keep coming.......... Have a nice day out there. xx Keep warm!

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