7 Early Vegetables to Grow for You and Your Flock

by Melissa Caughey of Tilly’s Nest

Do you garden? Why not plant some veggies that have a bigger bang for their buck this year, especially for the chickens? Chickens love fresh treats from the vegetable garden. Many times they happily eat leaves, stems and roots. They also don’t mind bug chewed leaves that normally would find their way into the composter.Typically around this time, we start our seeds off indoors in seed trays. Once the seeds have germinated and are a few weeks old, we begin to “harden them off”. On warmer sunny days, we bring the trays full of seedlings outside to the picnic table, so that they can acclimate to outside temperatures. We bring them back indoors in the evening. We do this for about a week. After a week or so, we then plant them in the garden.

Soon enough, it’s harvest time. When sharing fresh vegetables with your flock, always be sure they have access to chicken grit and fresh drinking water. Also, if you have applied any garden chemicals, be sure to give them a good washing prior to sharing. Here are seven great plants that tolerate the chilly evenings of early spring, are easy to grow and perfect for you and the flock to enjoy.

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Broccoli

Broccoli is an excellent source of folate, vitamin K, B vitamins, riboflavin, calcium, manganese, iron, magnesium, selenium, phosphorus, zinc, and some omega-3 fatty acids. After you harvest the blossoms, feed the leaves and stems to the chickens.

Lettuces

Mixed salad greens grow quickly and can be harvested sooner than most vegetables. They are rich in Vitamins A, B, and also full of antioxidants. The entire plant is edible. I always plant extra and toss the entire plant, roots and all, into the chicken run.

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Kale

Kale is low in calories but packed with many vitamins and minerals including Vitamins A, K, C, B complex, iron, calcium, potassium, Vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids and folate. The entire plant is edible. Kale can grow the entire season and is simple to grow. You could even grow it in a container with mixed greens.

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Beets

One of my chickens’ favorite treats are beet greens. These are packed with Potassium, Vitamins A, C, and iron. Did you know that the beet tops, including the leaves and stems, are absolutely delicious. If you’re not planning on eating them, share them with your flock!

Cauliflower
This vegetable is a relative to broccoli and chickens will not only eat the flowering white portion but also enjoy dining on the leaves and stems as well. Full of potassium, Vitamins A, D, B12, B6, C, iron and magnesium, the chickens get a healthy dose of nutrients.Swiss Chard
I love growing Swiss Chard and in the Northeast, it can grow like a weed. Once in the ground, our plants produce all season long until the first hard frost in fall. Swiss chard is rich in Vitamins A, K, C, E, B12, calcium, iron, folate and fiber.Carrots
To chickens, this entire plant is edible including the leafy greens. Carrots are a great boredom buster and keep the flock busy as it takes a bit of work to eat them. Carrots of course are known for beta-carotene, but they also are a great source of vitamins A, C, B6, and potassium, Try growing heirloom varieties that come in many gorgeous shades of yellow, orange, purples and pinks. Next time for a little fun, try tossing an entire carrot plant into the run as a treat.

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Fresh vegetables are an excellent way to treat your chickens without feeling guilty. Whether you start a small garden in containers, built raised garden beds or till a large plot of land, chickens will happily work the soil and help with pest control. However, a word of caution, they are excellent, focused, and efficient workers. Therefore, be sure to supervise them in the garden, redirect their efforts as needed, and never leave them unattended. They can and will devour your entire garden in less time than you think.

About the author: Melissa Caughey is a backyard chicken keeper, beekeeper, gardener, and cook who pens the award winning blog, Tilly’s Nest. She lives on Cape Cod, Massachusetts with her family of four and her Miniature Schnauzer. She regularly writes for HGTV Gardens, Community Chickens, Grit magazine, and contributes to Country Living Magazine. Her blog was recently named one of Better Homes and Gardens Top 10 Gardening Blogs. Melissa is currently working on a backyard chicken book with Storey Publishing to be released this upcoming year.

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Laurie McCullen

4 years ago