Can I feed my chickens weeds?! (YES!) 

I'm soooo happy you don't write click-bait titles for your videos.

my pig knows whats safe to eat and whats not, its cool to watch her actively avoid toxic stuff, its just ingrained in her genetics

I don't mow my grass,I use a machete to chop things like Johnson grass,I just chop it all up with the machete,they love the tinders ,sweet stems of different grasses.I think they love the chopped grasses more than the scratch grains.Also I catch carp and scale them and use a knife to serate the meat so they can easily pick it from the bones.I hang the whole fish so they can pick both sides.If you just throw it in the co-op on the ground much of it is waisted.Also one of their favorite fish is shad that I catch with my throw net.They lay so many eggs I can't eat em all.God bless all you good people and much love from Avalon Texas.

You probably one of the smartest people out there I've seen on RU-vid with the system you have created I just think that.... being chickens will eat anything they can get they're beaks

I love that the answer was in the title.👍

I adore the babbling/clucking of happy hens. Yes, chickens are very intelligent. They know exactly what to eat and not to eat.

Websites like backyard chickens tends to scare a lot of people from doing this. I've seen claims that grass and weeds that are long, continuous pieces will cause an impacted crop and kill the bird but I have no experience of that happening after 5 years. They literally walk around with a 12" piece of grass sticking out of their beaks and they eat the whole thing with no issue.

Yet another valuable video. It can be very difficult to get over the Myth Of Human Supremacy, i.e. the arrogance that we know better what the animals that we attempt to care for really need. It is an arrogance that modern civilization applies to the whole of nature. When we adopt the approach that you do, wherein the animals are not resources but rather partners, the work involved in their care decreases and the joy of a true partnership begins to grow.

I do the same thing. My chickens are in an enclosed house and run because I live in a Suburban environment. I made a narrow cage, 2 ft by 2 ft by 4 in out of 1 inch hardware cloth. I can pull clumps of grass from the garden and stuff them into that cage. that way the chickens are able to pull the grass through the cage and rip it, which greatly helps them to eat it. Many other weeds I give them I try to hang in such a way that they can pull off leaves and that makes it easier for them to eat the weeds. if I get a pile and have to throw it on the ground in their run oh, I might put a brick or a piece of a log on top of it to hold it in place so they can more easily tear off the leaves.

Ive had chickens since 2005 and we feed them all sorts of weeds and never had a problem related to them, I didn't even know it was a concern for some people until now. I only had concerns about avocados and tomatoes because I have a conure and they absolutely cant eat those, but the chickens are eager to eat about anything and easily digest most foods. I definitely believe the chickens know what few foods they cant eat, they're just like pigs in that and many other ways.

Our chickens get grass clippings, weeds, weeds with roots and dirt, bones from making bone broth...especially the flock in the yard. I give our chicks greens ,as well. The ones in the brooder (without mama hen out in the nursery) get herbs, chickweed, grass seed heads, weeds with roots and dirt. Sometimes I just bring in a quart of dirt from the garden, so they can have the benefit of the biota in the soil, like the outside chicks.

Thank you. Gratitude👍💚🌱

I've actually learned what weeds are safe to offer my chickens, by the couple of times they've gotten out. Or I had one that wasn't fitting in with the flock, so lived in a small chicken tractor and free-ranged during the day. They loved the black berries of deadly nightshades. I don't know if they're poisonous to chickens, but they're not recommended for human consumption. Also milk thistle, in it's younger form. I started picking the black berries and milk thistle - offering them to the main flock in the coop. Who went absolutely crazy for them. So if you're not sure, just let one hen out to free range. Watch them, and see what weeds they flock to. If one will eat them, they pretty much all will.

My chickens ate every bit of dandelions off my 20 acre farm, and I went into roadside ditches (beautiful dandelions) for their greens. I used only 20% of my feed from scratch/crumble. The chickens ate everything fresh or foods I didn't eat from dinner. They also loved manure piles.

You might consider editing out any toxic plants during times of extreme drought. Drought can intensify toxins dramatically. We had a severe drought in 2007 and acorns were falling from our oaks while they were still green. Our goats, which normally enjoy acorns, were eating them and dropping dead while the nuts were still in their mouths. The nuts were extremely toxic. I'm really enjoying your videos and learning so much about chicken composting, a concept that is new but so intriguing to me. Thanks for all your hard work in the sharing of you experiences.

Our chickens love it when I pull weeds they eat what they like and leave what they don’t like.

I’m surprised at my chickens they acted like it was treat time. I gave all my weeds from the flower garden and they went crazy. They loved the columbine plants. Thanks for sharing

Eminently sensible approach

So much great content on here these past few days, have to catch up. Great video!

Your chickens 🐓 sound so happy. 💕💕 love watch them scratch 😬 and peck at the greens 🥬

Just would like to say thank you for all the things you guys have taught me. You're an inspiration and outstanding teachers. I'm so excited to implement all that I've learned from you. Thank you! ♥

Enjoy your videos. Thank you.

Very helpful!

*"looks at all the chickens falling over"* Yeah weed is safe. They'll wake up again in a few hours

I've watched enough chicken videos to know that feeding them weeds & grasses is a no-brainer. Makes weeding more enjoyable when you know they'll get turned into, eggs, meat, compost. And you're cutting feed costs. Permaculture principles!

Thanks for posting this! Chickens are much more intelligent than people want to give them credit for. Our chickens have regular access to our yard with various types of wild plants and we've never had an issue. Well, I have to shoo them from the rhubarb now and again but that's it lol. They really enjoy themselves here.

I’m in New Jersey, I have jimsinweed here, but not super common. I do tend to pick it out if I happen to see it.

My chickens 🐓 love weeds. They go nuts when they see me coming with some. 😀😀😀😀

This is a great opportunity for everyone

I throw absolutely everything to them. They decide what they want.

Sounds like some tasty greens for humans in there as well, such as dandelion, plaintain, dock and wild lettuce. Most of these plants are no longer popular because of how well they travel and the amount of preparation needed for some in particular.

thank you..animals usually know what to eat and what not to eat. i have never been one of those who make a mountain of a mole hill.

Your girls certainly look healthy and very happy. Thank you for this video I am new to raising chickens, this year, and I keep wondering about that and my cut grass clippings. Because of course they have eaten all the green growing plants in their large pen so I was wondering if I could supplement that thank you so much

Informative video! Love all your content. I'm interested if you'd have time to make a video on how you handle or check for potential chicken diseases in your flock, especially with the increased numbers over the years!

100% agreement. Raised chickens both ways! They have a small brain but innate sense of what to eat, when to go to bed, therefore I have not raised any stupid chickens that I know of. They eat and pick through the kitchen scraps we take them. I just give them a happy life with a few kind words, pet them, and attention to their needs a couple times a day, which is their safety!!

I think they like kale because it accumulates sulfur for the egg yolks. I have 5 acres away from the road but too much predictor issues for free range so I am using 12 foot long by 4 foot wide chicken tractors moving through my orchards and berries. Much of the weeds I add to the tractor remains as mulch and I add more grass mowed from the field. They always bury some of the soaked grain which comes up through the mulch and grows more feed for them in the next season.

Thanks for your inspiring videos. Just wondering this recently. Getting restarted with chickens and I agree they know what to eat. I remember seeing mother hens pecking at their babies when they tried to eat particular plants so I believe this is just something they know. I am contemplating though- giving them to my chickens vs. adding to compost heap which I am just starting.

Sean, love your videos!! The paw paw video was another great one! I do want to ask you and others as I do this same thing: Give weeds to the chickens, then after a week or two it all gets piled up into a cubic meter (yard) or bigger. Checking the temperature, i make sure it gets at least 130 degrees F (55 Celsius) for a few days before getting process down the coop and out the door to the garden. Also included kitchen scraps, horse manure, chicken bedding, and if available grass clippings which can make much hotter, which is what a prefer, because I do not want the weed seeds to stay vital in the finished compost. i have only done this for two years and am trying to see if the compost is weed seed free when doing this... any experience or suggestions? So far...it seems weed seed free is like garden utopia... gardens = weeding, which is more free food for the chickens and bio mass for the microbes and earth worms! Therefore it helps to have a joyful attitude in doing this never ending task!

Such a cool topic....thanks a mill brother 👏👏👏😅🍻💯👍❄️🌲☃️🐣🌼🌾🤠🐓

Correct, chickens been around along time, they know how to take care of them self, and by the way, I hate those car noises, they seem to ruin your peace

Quite right. A gardener should know the plants that are dangerous in one serving and avoid them. Poke weed berries, jimson weed, nightshade and some of the deadlier mushrooms are possibles. Even if you get it wrong and a bird is injured, at least you found out before a child or the family dog taste tested the problem.

Can chickens have curly dock?

I’m curious to learn more about tomatoes and why they’re ignored. Is it the relationship to nightshade? Do you watch out for potato and eggplant foliage too? I haven’t had experience raising hens yet so learning loads from you before I do. Thank you!

The poke root (pokeweed for us) you mentioned, do you allow that in your garden for a specific permaculture use? Our chickens do pluck the purple berries, and no one has died in 2 years.

Are vinca of any variety poisonous to chickens?

Healthy looking bird's! Looks like maybe some Australorps and New Hampshire? Do you find any particular breed exceptionally resilient?

I feel like chicken keepers run into issues when they offer restricted options in either variety or amount. If animals are hungry and have no other options, they might eat what's no good for them and they might eat enough to hurt them. Same as people. Lots of variety in large enough volume seem key to healthy waste-fed chickens .

They definitely know what they want, and seem to know what is good for them. My chooks have ravaged all the blueberry and willow leaves that they could reach, while ignoring the more plentiful grape and black raspberry leaves. Young sunchokes get grazed on , older leaves are ignored. Tomato foliage is untouched. Comfrey is a treat, but only so much at one time. I just cut down a bunch of grape vines, and threw them into their compost bin. I expect they will eat the decomposers that show up, more that the greens themselves.

Hi. I want to emulate your chicken composting system, as it just makes sense. We just moved and I have a ton of cardboard boxes. Does it make sense to layer the boxes on the bottom of the what would be scratching area? I wonder if they are too thick of a carbon? Maybe a different section for the boxes or can I start to throw sprouts and feed on top?

Sean, at around 0:53 what is the tall bush with the yellow flowers on the right?

Every time one of our chickens eat grass/ weeds... she has a full stomach and we have to massage her .. not sure what to do

Hey! How's it going? I just watched a video on paw paws. Someone was eating one. And I remembered that I watch a really cool channel called edibleacres and it occurred to me that you have on more than one occasion mentioned paw paws. Until now I didn't really know what it was. I live in Indiana, is it possible to successfully grow one here? Much thanks.

Besides weeds, what else do you feed your chickens?

Great advice!

What was the flowering bush on the right at 0:53?

Good day sir. I'm trying to copy your system. I've been piling fruit peels o get from a nearby fruit vendor. I have 183,5 weeks old chicks right now waiting 1 more week to release them to the pile. My question is would rice hull make the compost pile cooler because i want black soldier fly to thrive in that pile to ensure they get enough proteins for themselves.

Because of your videos I have the confidence to give my chickens everything from the garden and our kitchen scraps. Other friends are spending a fortune on feed every month. We are able to stretch our store bought feed for months at a time. Thank you

Do you give your chickens any extra protein other than the bugs and worms they find because of your feeding them the weeds?

Hi i've been following your chicken operation. How did you train your chickens to scratch the food scrap piles. I have 178 heads of 6 week old chicks.currently they are just going for the grass leaves on their range. They barely have any interest in the piles except when i throw some watermelons in there. I guess what im trying to say is when should i offer them grains so they learn to forage and dig in the compost pile.. Currently im feeding them 8kgs of chick feed at 6am.

Do you give calcium supplements? My chickens start having low calcium problems if they are not eating enough commercial feed. They free range and get all the greens and bugs they want and have free choice commercial pellets, but if I give them grain like wheat or a scratch mix, they eat that and not the feed. I've had them get seriously ill from low calcium. Just wondering if you ever have that issue. Also I noticed you mentioned dock leaves in the mix. On a previous video I commented that I like to use amaranth as a border to crowd out other plants. I have since learned that what I thought was amaranth is actually dock!! Right now my chickens are favoring grasshoppers, dock seed and green wheat seed still on the plant. My experience is that chickens in general have some things that are instinctive like how to hatch chicks but then some individuals have better instincts about it than others. Then they also have cultural variations. They always remember the pablum they ate as chicks and go for it with a passion. I always give new chicks pablum (chick food mixed with water) for the first week or so to make sure they are getting enough water. The way the adults go after it you would think they were starving! I also give the chicks greens that I want them to control in the garden. That works to some degree but mostly the moms show them what to eat once they get big enough to free range. When it comes to free range food they generally seem to take the strategy of a little here and a little there. Then over time they develop favorites. The exception to that is beets. From the beginning they have no concept of letting some beet seedlings grow for later and will wipe out a whole bed given the chance!

Ive always wondered how chickens know what they like to eat. Ive heard that birds practically have no sense of smell so I would assume they dont have much taste buds as well. The way they can eat spicy peppers like nothing supports that as well.

I feed my chickens real weed, They lay happy eggs now, Just don't let them eat the buds or you will have no eggs and very sleepy chucks, Why do chickens go into catatonic sleep, when turned upside down? Anyone out there know? Iv seen it done with my own eyes and they do fall asleep

Can you tell me what you do to manage internal parasites? Because the chickens are on the same bit of land all thd time, how do you keep them parasite free?

Do the weed seeds survive after they're consumed by the chickens?

Can chickens eat cooked artichoke leaves?

I bet there are a few bugs in those weeds that the chickens are only too happy to "handle".

I am new to your channel and I absolutely love it!! It's helping me figure out what to do with my 5 chickens. Having chickens is something new for me. Quick silly question. Does having the chickens eat weeds affect/change the compost? Probably not but, I was scared of the chicken compost to affect the garden.

can I feed my chickens left over chicken? Would be an "interesting" video. haha

Just thought I’d throw out, people should learn to recognize the deadly ones. For example, goats will eat rhododendron and it’s frequently fatal for them. Even when given the choice of not eating it (for example, getting into a yard with landscaping).

It has been my experience that they will eat what they want. The rest just lies there.

i do give them weeds. they eat what they want so it's just fine.

Can they survive off weeds only, no feed?

Can I just check, do you feed any commercial feed at all to the chickens?

Is it safe for chickens to eat goutweed?

my chicken tokes a ittle weed every day ,never hurt him.

Have you ever feed a weed called honeystead?

:)

I absent mindedly killed 6 rabbits cleaning up my yard one fall and throwing all my cut down vines and frost killed plants to my domestic rabbits hutches. They all started having seizures and died within 2 hours. It was horrific. I think it was Jasmine vines that killed them (I never would have feed them Jasmine vines if I had been thinking). I called Texas A&M about it. Dr Thornberry the rabbit expert at the time thought it might have been an acid that can develop on frost killed plants (I don't remember the name of the acid). That was over 20 yrs ago. I have never cavalierly feed my captive animals anything I am not sure of since.

This is just what I want to do. We are getting chickens next month and I do not want to feed them layer feed. I plan to do the same as you and feed them garden and kitchen scraps, and sprouted fodder on a deep bedding system. I am also raising mealworms in preparation for the chickens. I figure the chickens have survived for millenia without pellets, so they will be fine and should have real food, not extruded rubbish. My question is: How many mealworms should I give them per day, whilst the deep litter is building? And thereafter, how many per day, each? Thanks. Could you do a video about all the food you give the chickens?

dont you get annoyed by those constant sounds they make?