Can/do hens eat nettles?

i wonder too... we've lots of nettles in our garden and on veg plot. Did notice yesterday that they seemed to 'jump' over the larger clumps making me think that they do sting their legs.

I have noticed that they keep down the weeds on our patch with the 'scratting'.

michelle

cheers folks,

I'll dig the nettles out then seeing as though they won't eat them. I'll leave the docks and see if they like them.

Stu

Hi Stu

I'm new to this chicken lark myself having taken in 6 ex-bats 2 months ago. I also started mine on mash but they were eating pellets only a week later! The Smallholder range recently introduced a new formula specifically for ex-bats (interestingly it includes nettle as well as fenugreek & garlic in the herbs) & my girls love it - and they're feathering up very nicely on it too (but hunt around for a good price as some places charge way over the odds for it). I also feed them mixed corn and they enjoy mealworms as a treat and when I have to shut them into their enclosure they appreciate the green tops off bunched carrots dangling down through the wire of the run.

It sounds as if you're planning on having them free-ranging which is great - I was surprised at how quickly their natural instincts cut in and lost many hours in the first couple of weeks watching them scratching around for tasty morsels, the biggest prize seems to be a slug and whoever gets one has to be pretty fast on her feet as the rest are very quickly on her case...

By the way, I second the idea of nettles in soups and also as a spinach sustitute so don't be too hasty to get rid of them.

Enjoy your girls - Anne