[Happy-Hound]

Hi there, can someone tell me what fruit & veg you shouldn't give chickens please? Many thanks.

[Casey76]

Stick to fresh greens.

Chickens shouldn't need to eat anything more than layers pellets/mash and some fresh dark greens; and perhaps a handful of mixed grain between four or five on an evening.

[8doubles]

It is traditional to keep hens in the orchard so most home grown fruit is ok,melon rinds are ok avoid citrus and only give the occasional grape as too many are not good for them.
Avocado is i believe bad for hens.

[ManicMum]

A few scraps from the kitchen (vegetable peelings, non-meat plate scrapings etc) are OK as an additional treat.

Potato peelings MUST be cooked but other peelings can be fed raw or cooked as your girls prefer.

Garden weeds like milk thistle, dandelion, shepherds purse and so on also help to add interest to their diet - you'll soon know what they do and don't like!

However, these are afternoon treats, after they've had a good morning chomping on pellets.

[Happy-Hound]

Thanks everyone.  My chickens can't free range due to the dog, we are already minus 1 thanks to him so I like to give them whatever leftover fruit & veg we have.

[Helenaj]

Sorry that this is slightly off track, but can chickens eat willow leaves? I have a willow tree growing in their enclosure. There are lovely new green shoots on the lower branches and I have seen my girls jumping and trying to get at them, but up until now I have resisted the urge to bend a few of the branches down. Their compound at the moment is grazed clear - in fact it resembles the Gobi desert and I am planning to move them to pastures new in a few weeks when I have made their new home fox proof. If it is okay for them to eat the shoots I'll bend a few branches over every now and again so that they can have fresh greens, plus it will keep their interest.
I'm assuming that because they are interested in the leaves they know they are edible, but I thought I'd check on here first.

[joyfull]

Mine like willow leaves too 
When one of my dogs felt off colour she used to eat willow twigs - probably because willow bark contains aspirin.

[Helenaj]

Thanks Joyfull - that's excellent!

[cammi]

Mine like willow leaves too 
When one of my dogs felt off colour she used to eat willow twigs - probably because willow bark contains aspirin.

isn't nature clever!

[frizzlemad]

Hi ,

 What ever  you do, do not give them Raw Potato skins as this is poisonous to them . Also stick to fresh greens and don't give them anything mouldy.

From frizzle