Hey, y'all. I just discovered something neat by accident. I'm always sweeping up the feed room floor for loose alfalfa for the chickens, and I frequent the grocery stores on weekends for throw-away produce for them, too, because I think they like the variety. Well, I'd recently tossed out an old apple box, previously used as a nestbox. It was nasty and I replaced it with another, but let the chickens 'clean' it. I left it upside down in their run and about a week later, finally decided to remove it. Well, we are now having much-needed rain and, lo and behold, there were 4" of fresh oat greens underneath it! The chickens devoured them with great relish. So, I got about two more apple boxes and turned them upside down in various places, with whole oats underneath. In a few days, voila! Fresh greens every week! Try it; I think your chickens will thank you for it. debra in nm

-- debra in nm (dhaden@nmtr.unm.edu), October 23, 2000

Answers

I plant about a quarter acre of greens...spinach, beets, turnips, radish, mustard, etc. for my own use, and once growing good, I can feed a five gallon bucket of greens and turnips to the chicken flock each day...keeps my hens healthy and laying all winter.

-- phil briggs (phillipbriggs@thenett.com), October 23, 2000.

From what I have read in the days before all the feed suplements many of those growing poultry did grow sprouts for their birds especially in the winter. They even had sprouting cabinets to produce these sprouts. I would think that just like for us that sprouts grown properly would also be good for our livestock. gail

-- gail missouri ozarks (gef123@hotmail.com), October 23, 2000.

I will HAVE to do that!! My goats are leaving grain all over the place and the oats are growing nicely, but the goats won't eat it. I got some new chicks and when they were big enough, I put them in the pen with the guineas..NOT good!! The guineas thought they were supposed to munch the chicks, so I gathered up the chicks very quickly and moved them in with the pygmy goats. Those chicks went nuts eating those oats. I was thinking of a way to grow them for the chickens..now I will try the box idea!! Thanks!

-- Cindy in OK (cynthiacluck@yahoo.com), October 25, 2000.

Hi Debra..I have always fed my chickens fresh greens of any kind I could come across..mainly in the Fall it is turnip tops, mustard, beet tops, swiss chard..anytime we have cabbage they get the outer leaves of it also. They eat what we eat around here and also they get laying pellets.

-- Lynn (mscratch@clnet.net), October 29, 2000.