Cultivating Nutritious Meals for Your Chickens: Provide Poultry with Fresh Vegetation
A growing number of poultry farmers are turning to natural feeding methods to improve their flock's health, growth, and egg production, while also reducing feed costs. This approach, which supports the chickens' natural foraging behaviour, offers numerous benefits.
By incorporating a variety of nutritious plants into their diet, poultry can obtain essential vitamins and minerals that may be lacking in commercial feeds. For example, legumes like clover and alfalfa, high in protein and digestible nutrients, are ideal for providing necessary protein. Young, fast-growing grasses and leafy greens, such as dandelion, chickweed, and plantain, offer vital energy, protein, and are more digestible than mature plants.
Insects, such as mealworms and black soldier fly larvae, also play a crucial role in a balanced diet, providing protein critical for feather development and egg laying. These protein sources, combined with nutritious plants, create a well-rounded diet that enhances poultry health and productivity.
Lawn clippings from untreated lawns make excellent fresh forage for chickens, providing them with a source of nutrients and fibre. Cover crops can also serve as green feeds for the flock, bringing improvements to soil fertility and texture.
Dynamic accumulators like dandelion, comfrey, and nettle mine deep subsoil for minerals and make them available to other plants. Nettle, in particular, is high in protein and mineral content, making it an excellent addition to a chicken's diet. Comfrey is persistent and does not spread easily, making it a practical choice for small-scale farmers. However, nettle is both dispersive and invasive and requires vigilant management to prevent it from becoming a nuisance.
Drying comfrey and nettle "hay" for feeding in winter is a common practice, ensuring that the chickens have access to nutritious forage year-round. In some cases, it is not the plant that is the threat but the mature seeds, such as with hairy vetch and jimsonweed. Weeds may be toxic in some areas, so it's important to familiarise oneself with local hazards for poultry.
The author encourages experimenting with natural feeding methods, citing his grandmother's flock as a model for such practices. The chickens in the author's grandmother's flock ate almost entirely from home resources, providing them with a balanced diet and supporting sustainable farming practices. Saving money on feed bills can be a fun part of natural feeding strategies, and many homesteads or small farms have a multitude of options for the three food groups for poultry.
Integrating natural forage with cultivated nutritious plants supports a stronger, healthier flock and can improve soil quality through regenerative poultry systems. By embracing natural feeding methods, poultry farmers can reap the benefits of a healthier, more productive flock, while also promoting sustainable farming practices.
References: [1] Sustainable Poultry Network. (n.d.). Benefits of forage and pasture feeding for poultry. Retrieved from https://sustainablepoultrynetwork.com/benefits-of-forage-and-pasture-feeding-for-poultry/ [2] Rodale's Organic Life. (n.d.). 10 nutritious plants for your chickens. Retrieved from https://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/10-nutritious-plants-for-your-chickens [3] Backyard Chickens. (n.d.). Grit for chickens. Retrieved from https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1682897/grit-for-chickens [4] Mother Earth News. (n.d.). 10 best plants for your backyard chickens. Retrieved from https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/10-best-plants-for-your-backyard-chickens-zbcz1603 [5] The Spruce Pets. (n.d.). Natural feeding for chickens: The pros and cons. Retrieved from https://www.thesprucepets.com/natural-feeding-for-chickens-pros-and-cons-1238155
- Poultry can derive vital nutrients from a variety of plants, including legumes and fast-growing grasses, to obtain essential vitamins and minerals.
- Insects like mealworms and black soldier fly larvae are crucial protein sources for poultry, supporting feather development and egg laying.
- Lawn clippings from untreated lawns and cover crops can serve as nutritious forage for chickens, improving soil fertility and texture.
- Dynamic accumulators, such as dandelion, comfrey, and nettle, mine deep subsoil for minerals and make them available to other plants, with nettle being high in protein and minerals.
- Drying comfrey and nettle "hay" can provide a year-round source of nutritious forage, but one must be aware of potentially toxic mature seeds like those from hairy vetch and jimsonweed.
- By experimenting with natural feeding methods and integrating natural forage with cultivated nutritious plants, farmers can promote a stronger, healthier flock and sustainable farming practices.
- Homesteads and small farms have a multitude of options for the three food groups for poultry, including plants, insects, and grit, as found in home-and-garden references and articles on food-and-drink websites like Sustainable Poultry Network, Rodale's Organic Life, Backyard Chickens, Mother Earth News, and The Spruce Pets.
