HomeblogWhy I love dandelions Dandelions make a nutritious treat for hens. All my life I’ve been digging these blighters up, and in the space of three weeks, I’ve become their biggest fan. Dandelions: I used to hate them with their tendency to invade lawns, re-sprout from deep roots and seed themselves anywhere and everywhere. Now I love them. What changed? Two chickens, and two more on the way. That’s what changed. My life has changed in so many little, lovely ways since these creatures pitched up in my back garden. For starters, I now get up earlier, and stay awake, because I have to let them out of their coop and feed them. Then I tend to eat my breakfast watching them scratch around in their garden for a bit. There is no better way (apart from a swim in a cold lake) to start the day than outside in your garden chuckling at your chooks. And they love, love, love dandelions. I clip a small bunch of six leaves to their run mesh, and within minutes, they’ve eaten the lot. A few dandelion plants grow in their garden, which they merrily peck away at too, but I now find myself roaming all over the garden and all over my allotment picking more dandelion leaves each day for my girls. Look at Florence’s joy as she demolishes another batch! They’re also good for the eggs, once the girls start laying: leafy veg make the yolks more yellow. I’m also growing batches of kale for them, and will soon sow winter purslane for them, as this enriches their eggs with Omega 3 and will be a fantastic source of greens for them in the lean winter months. 2 Responses Perrig June 9, 2014 Awwww. I love hens and miss my girls so much. Thank you for sharing. Reply GeraniumCat June 9, 2014 I scour the garden for dandelions too, my old hens love them. The new girls aren’t as interested yet, but as they’re moved on to fresh grass every day it doesn’t really matter. But I do find myself wondering whether to start a small dandelion plantation in one corner! Reply Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Your email address will not be published. Name* Email* Website Comment
GeraniumCat June 9, 2014 I scour the garden for dandelions too, my old hens love them. The new girls aren’t as interested yet, but as they’re moved on to fresh grass every day it doesn’t really matter. But I do find myself wondering whether to start a small dandelion plantation in one corner! Reply
