5 Flock Friendly Crops

Feeding a backyard flock can be expensive. While growing your own crops does not replace a nutritionally complete layer flock feed, growing your own food in your garden or in container on your porch can help supplement your chicken’s diet with healthy treats. Treats should only be given to your flock a few times a week to avoid creating a nutritional imbalance. I’m sure to only give my flock treats 3 times per week to ensure I don’t detrimentally impact their health or productivity. I give all of my treats in addition to complete layer feed, not as a substitute. Here are 5 crops I grow in my garden to feed my family AND my chickens.

1. Sunflowers– These beautiful flowers in addition to attracting pollinators to my garden are just wonderful to look at. Once the bloom is completely finished and the seeds are ready to be consumed, I cut the head off of the sunflower and feed it to my chickens.
2. Cabbages– Cabbages make a very healthy treat for my family and my flock. They are a cold tolerant and hardy crop. A small portion goes a long way! Cabbages can be frozen or made into sauerkraut. When giving a cabbage to my chickens, I only give them half at a time and hang it from our treat string from an eyelet screw.
3. Kale-Even if you don’t consider yourself a gardener kale is a very easy crop to grow! It can flourish in most regions and there are many varieties to choose from. The whole plant is safe for your chickens to consume. Once my family has had their fill of kale, I uproot the whole plant and let my flock devour it. Kale can also be grown in a porch garden in containers.
4. Sweet potatoes-Unlike white potatoes which are harmful to chickens, the sweet potato which is actually from a different plant family is safe for your chickens. Chickens can eat the sweet potato itself but also the vine and the foliage. Emphasis on sweet potatoes, NOT white potatoes which are poisonous to chickens.
5. Amaranth-Amaranth is a high protein grain which is safe to feed to your chickens. Once the grain is matured you can remove it from the stalk and feed it to your flock in a livestock safe dish.

Crops you can grow for your chickens even if have very limited space include things like: spinach, chard, kale, lettuce, cherry tomatoes (the fruit, NOT the plant), and micro greens. Even in a very small raised bed or porch container you can still grow great greens you, your family, and your flock can enjoy!

I hope this was a good starting point for your research about chicken friendly crops you can grow yourself. Check out Chuck’s other social media for more backyard chicken and homesteading content.

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