[looe-looe-belle]

hello everyone my hens only like dandelion leaves and grass i have offered them spinach, greens, savoy cabbage and even sweetheart cabbage yet they will not eat them i worry that in the winter when the dandelion leaves die off what could i give them -trust me to have fussy hens! Any help is appreciated

[sheridan]

Have you tried goosegrass and chickweed? Mine love that. And it grows pretty much all year too.

[looe-looe-belle]

i know what chickweed is so will try that however i have never seen goose grass! What does it look like? And where does it grow?

[GrannieAnnie]

As you haven't had them for long LooeLooe, they may not be used to other stuff.  Persever occasionally, our youngsters take time to get used to stuff like cabbage.

There's lots of pumpkins around at the moment which will be cheaper still after Halloween, they love them!

[looe-looe-belle]

ok grannieannie thank you for that! I will keep trying and will also give the pumpkin a go!!

[Foghorn-Leghorn]

Goose Grass is also called Cleavers if that's any help?

You may find your girls may prefer cooked greens to fresh.  I know mine turn their noses up at broccoli raw but go mad for it when cooked!

[Sassy]

In many areas it is also called sticky willies - to young childrens delight!!!

[dollybird]

i got my ex batts at end of augest and after a few days gave them some cabbage which they turned their collective noses up to. tried alsorts for a week. a friend gave me some potatoe peelings for them she had been told hens loved them, to be polite i did cook them and put them in for the girls.... gone in less than 2 minutes. they now eat anything and everything, beetroot and corn being a favorite.

[joyfull]

please don't give them too much goose grass especially if it still has the sticky buds on it - I have got some horrendous photos of an impacted crop caused by these in one of my books.

[sheridan]

I have a patch of goosegrass which I harvest, I harvest the seedlings when they are only an inch high or so, they are not sticky then, and very tender. Likewise chickweed, then they get only the tender seedlings. It doesn'y have to impact on your garden, I keep a "harvest" patch under an elder tree in my front garden.

My 3 hens hate broccoli with a vengence. Likewise cabbage, though they will eat spinach. I also grab big dock leaves where I see them and hang them from their run to peck at.