Can you feed too much vegetables to chickens ???

[mitchl-2000]

As our garden comes in we have a lot of extra overgrown cucs, squash and etc, plus a lot of scrap from canning and freezing of vegs.

I have been feeding my chickens everything to save on the feed bill.

Can you feed them too much fresh vegetables??

 

[b.hromada]

I've never heard that before, but you will certainly get an answer soon. I'd love to have a vegetable garden!! Thats so awesome to have so many!! I think the girls would be in heaven!!

 

[Zahboo]

They can get fat from eating too much, but probably not on veggies.

 

[mitchl-2000]

I am a novice at this chicken thing and I read several posts on "Treats" for the chickens which led me to believe that I should not feed them a large volume of vegs.

But on the other hand I keep thinking how can too many vegs be bad..

 

[Dixiedoodle]

I am new to chickens and would love to know this answer... I see where people let them 'free range' to 'cut the feed bill' .. I have read that people do not feed grains, commerical feeds in summer. I have read that if you have a 'backyard' flock (Not egg makin' machines--high production flocks) it's ok to feed them/let them eat free range but that your egg production will drop!

So I am interested in the answers that will follow---we have a huge garden, vineyard and orchard.....lots of things that have been going to waste but that are now going into the run!

 

[The Zoo]

I'd like to know too. My only concern would be that they would fill up on veg and not get enough protein. No idea if this is true though - I love giving mine the leftover veg from the garden.

 

[vtchickenlady]

My chicks are a year and half old now. They get veggie scraps from our local market every day. I have 11 chickens and they get a 5 lb bucket full. Some days they get 2 buckets. I also provide them w/ layer feed. They seem very healthy and are not fat. I let them free range so they get bugs too.

 

[antlers]

Veggies are really not much different than the plants they get free ranging. They will be fine . BUT if you have that much now, can you freeze some of it in bags to dump in in the winter for treats then?

 

[Minidinochickens]

I hope someone with knowledge on this will come soon

 

[LaFleche]

It is just like with everything else: You can have/give too much of a good thing.

And in this case too much vegetables can lead to diarrhea which leads to imbalance of minerals and vitamins in the chicken which can among other things encourage intestinal parasites to proliferate. The lack of protein may lead to decline of egg production and loss of muscle mass etc.

And all this keeping in mind the different kinds vegetables of which some are not healthy or even poisonous for chickens, for instance avocados (Persin) or rhubarb (oxalic acid).