6 Garden Crops to Grow for Your Chickens

My chickens get a wide variety of garden scraps and weeds, but if you have wanted to save money on your feed bill, keep reading for six easy-to-grow garden crops to grow for your chickens!

 

6 Garden Crops to Grow for Your Chickens

 

#1 Sunflowers

Sunflowers are beautiful, easy to grow, and the seeds are packed with protein and Omega 3’s, increasing not just egg production, but the nutrients in your eggs!

Chickens can eat any kind of sunflower seeds, but black oil sunflowers are easier for animals to digest. Dry the heads thoroughly before storing, and throw a head in your coop each day for a nutrient-dense chicken treat!

 

#2 Flax Seeds

Flax is a low maintenance crop also packed with protein and Omega 3’s for your chickens. Plants reach about 2′ in height and the beautiful blue flowers open every morning.

You can start with organic flax seeds from your local grocery store. After the last frost date in your area, loosen or till a patch of soil and lightly rake in the seeds, aiming for one seed per inch. I don’t try to weed my patch of flax, since the plants are delicate and close together.

The flowers will give way to seed heads that can be winnowed, or just thrown to the chickens as they are. If you are into spinning fiber, the stalks are also used to make linen!

 

#3 Field Peas

Dried field peas are a great winter protein source for chickens – they can be ground into smaller pieces or simply soaked in water overnight to soften them before feeding.

They are planted thickly, about 1″ deep, and don’t require staking. Our patch is loaded with pods this year!

 

#4 Alfalfa

Chickens and ducks love alfalfa! I recommend planting a patch right next to your chicken coop so you can throw them a handful every day. You can also dry bundles of alfalfa for winter.

The plant is a perennial, so will grow back every year. Make sure you start with non-GMO seeds!

 

#5 Squash

Squash is one of my favorite crops to grow for chickens. It is easy to grow here in Montana, stores well in a cool room or garage, and has a lot of food value for your birds!

As they ripen I feed summer squash and zucchini. In the fall I start feeding winter squash and pumpkins.

For my chickens, I look for varieties that are prolific and store well. I bake the entire fruit (or several of them!) in my oven at 350 degrees until tender. Let it cool a bit before throwing the whole squash, seeds and all, to your happy chickens!

 

#6 Indian Corn

Yes, chickens can get fat if fed too much corn! We only feed corn in small amounts and in the winter, when chickens need a little extra to stay warm!

My favorite variety that always does well here is Painted Mountain. The stalks are very hardy and prolific, and the cobs are a dazzling array of colors!

Make sure the cobs are dried well and store them in a place safe from mice. When the snow comes, give your flock a cob or two to peck at and enjoy. I also grind Painted Mountain Corn into cornmeal for my kitchen!

 

 

New to chickens? Check out our article, Backyard Chickens for Beginners!

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed and been inspired by these ideas! What crops do you grow for your chickens?

 

-Kait