Growing chicken feed help

Hi ,its getting nearer to me getting some hens(Approx 4) and i was wondering is there anything i could begin to grow for them to eat that they enjoy?i havnt done much googling yet on their diets so any tips and advise would be appreciated.thanks julie x

 

Chickens eat anything and everything so I'm sure there's plenty you could grow for them.

I remember reading a magazine article on a plane one time on my way to my summer jollies. The tale went something like this.

A locally small scale farmer had the healthiest chucks on the island, right at a time when some scientists were studying the diet of the islanders to find out why they had one of the lowest heart problem incidences in the world. The eggs off these super healthy chucks was found to be loaded with much higher than usual levels of omega 3. The farmer was a bit skint, and had been feeding them a fairly basic diet, so nobody couldn't understand why the chucks were so super healthy, until they were spotted one time, sneaking under the fence and grazing the summer purslane that was growing wild in the area.

I don't know how accurate that tale is. It was in an in-flight magazine, but surely it can't be entirely made up.

 

Thanks clueless,ive never heard of purslane till nowsuttons sell seeds
I will delve deeper into purslane x

 

Keep in mind there are (at least) two types of purslane. Summer and winter purslane, and despite the similarity of name, I think they are two entirely different species. It is summer purslane that's loaded with omega 3.

 

Didn't know you were getting chooks Joolz...i grow chard for mine but they will eat anything given the chance

 

I think i mentioned a bit back on one of the threads,ive got a kids playhouse give me now so we are making a start,i have jeyes fluid cleaned and creosalted most of it,got a metal frame so its of the floor,picking up a 50mtre roll of wire tomo for the rungetting there loli

 

forgot loli to post pic,they will be at the bottom of garden with at least a 20ft
run,chaos at moment

 

I grow loads of Chard (AKA Leaf Beet, Perpetual Spinach, etc.) for our hens and it's what they prefer over any other greenstuff

 

forgive me if this is obvious, but I'd keep them on grower feed, don't put them on layer pellets

 

Its not obvious to me i havnt googled what pellet food they have..so much to learn& buy yet! but chard & spinach i can grow
The hen house is erected now,need to vent and seal the roof,picked up 50mtres of wire for a run tonight getting there

 

What breed of chooks are you getting Joolz...have you any particular favorites?

 

Not sure yet loli but we have had suggestions of sussex,marans,derbyshire redcap and rhode island reds,i have to get a white one for jess my 7yr old daughter aswell
I would like ones that lay large eggs to start so suggestions welcome plz,i can see darran making this his hobby..he has just bought 2 vintage vents for the chook house,thier huge loli x

 

We picked up our first 4 hens todaynothing fancy 4 warrens to start with i cant tell them all apart just yet but ive noticed 1 faces up to the cats and another spends time rummaging elsewhere and not always with the others
They all seem to have settled in thou and found their own way to bed

 

Joolz.........fabulous...so it's chicken watching tomorrow then

 

Joolz, they are a bonny group of lassies to be sure.
Jenny