Can chickens eat thistle leaves?

[Petra Pancake]

Our garden is beginning to sprout these big thistles again! I think they're called milk thistles. As I've got to rip them out anyway, can I feed them to the chickens or are they poisonous in any way? I'd cut off any hard thorns before feeding...

Here's a picture from the internet:

 

[Colonel-Sanders]

Hi, from what I gather chickens have no problem with eating milk thistles, however, if they are not free-range chickens then you can hang the thistles upside-down in their coop so that they can peck at them at their leisure.

Hope this helps!

 

[Petra Pancake]

Thanks, will try that.