Picky chickies - unsophisticated palates?

[pinkpickledeggs]

Hi, all!

My flock of 24 just turned six weeks today! I'm a first-time chicken person, and I'm loving it. They've moved to their coop and are outside every day scratching and chasing and sun/dust bathing. I'm so pleased that they seem to be enjoying themselves! They are just so fun.

I've been giving them treats here and there in addition to their twice-daily supply of regular, age-appropriate feed (I've never seen any problems with them eating their feed!): watermelon, peach/nectarine skins, strawberry tops are all VERY well-received and get gobbled up quickly. But they seem to have little to no interest in veggies. I'm not necessarily worried, but I'm curious if this is something most chicks grow out of? It seems everyone I know locally with chickens says that their flock can't get enough of anything green and leafy. I have a huge garden and am giddy at the thought of reducing my waste further by giving the bits I won't eat to the chicks. Should I give them some time for their palates to mature and become more sophisticated?

 

[DobieClose]

Maybe their palates are TOO sophisticated.
Kinda like mine
I’d rather have strawberries any day than peas …..

 

[Battlepants]

Maybe try another kind of veggie? Mine go absolutely nuts for any kind of leafy greens, even those right off the local honeysuckle.

 

[pinkpickledeggs]

Maybe their palates are TOO sophisticated.
Kinda like mine
I’d rather have strawberries any day than peas …..

That's a fair assessment!!

 

[pinkpickledeggs]

Maybe try another kind of veggie? Mine go absolutely nuts for any kind of leafy greens, even those right off the local honeysuckle.

Thanks for the suggestion! Will do.

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

Maybe try another kind of veggie? Mine go absolutely nuts for any kind of leafy greens, even those right off the local honeysuckle.

I thought honeysuckle was toxic to chickens? I have a huge invasive one around their coop but have never fed them since I thought it wasn't good?

 

[Battlepants]

I thought honeysuckle was toxic to chickens? I have a huge invasive one around their coop but have never fed them since I thought it wasn't good?

In reviewing the toxic list, looks like you are right on that. I haven't had any issues, but I will definitely stop doing that.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/comprehensive-list-of-poisonous-plants-and-trees.627282/

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

In reviewing the toxic list, looks like you are right on that. I haven't had any issues, but I will definitely stop doing that.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/comprehensive-list-of-poisonous-plants-and-trees.627282/

I think Latin names are important for plants so of course honeysuckle I'm talking about lonicera genus (tatarian (Lonicera tatarica), Amur (L. maackii), Morrow, (L. morrowii) and Bells (L.×Bella) are the invasive ones, the native North American one is Diervilla lonicera

I know some common names aren't always reliable