Buckwheat is one of the cover crops suitable for winter.
If you have buckwheat in abundance in the surrounding areas, you might be wondering if you can serve the plant for the chickens as a treat.
In this blog post, you are going to discover if it is safe to serve buckwheat for the chickens as a treat.
Chickens can eat buckwheat plants. You can also serve them the buckwheat seed but you need to cook it to make it easier for them to consume.
There is no need to panic if you discover that your chickens are eating the buckwheat you have in the garden.
Are buckwheat safe for the chickens?
Buckwheat plants are safe for the chickens. You can plant them in the garden for the purpose of allowing the chooks to feed on them.
You need to cook the seed of the buckwheat before you serve them for the chickens.
This is the reason why it is very essential to know about the treat you want to serve your chickens.
It is not good enough to just have them with whatever you have leftovers.
You must know the nutritional value which the chickens are going to derive from the treat you want to serve them.
Just because you had all the pet owners saying that certain treats are good for the chickens, does not mean that you should go ahead and start serving the same thing for your chickens.
You can easily harm your pet in that way because the treat might contain a toxic substance which you don’t know.
I did some research about serving buckwheat for the chickens. I discovered that other chicken owners also feed the plants for their chooks.
A member of the backyard chicken forum said her chickens usually show great enthusiasm whenever they have access to buckwheat on the runs.
How do I introduce buckwheat to my chickens?
Buckwheat is not like medicated feed which you normally serve the chickens.
You need to plant buckwheat in the garden or on runways. You simply allow the chickens to go near the buckwheat.
The chickens are going to eat the buckwheat sprouts if they find the plants interesting and palatable.
Is buckwheat good for roosters?
If you have a rooster among the chickens it is very important to be mindful of whatever they are going to eat so that it will not affect their reproductive systems.
In this case, I don’t think it would be among those things the rooster should consume because it doesn’t offer much nutritional value.
Can chicks eat buckwheat?
it is not advisable to serve buckwheat for the chicks because it doesn’t possess some of the essential nutrient they need.
Make sure the feed you are going to serve the chicks contains a high amount of protein.
The protein should not be less than 16% of the entire nutritional value of the feed you want to serve the chicks.
Protein makes it pretty much easier for them to develop some of the ways and organs in their body system faster.
Other treats you can serve the chickens
These are some of the treats you can serve the chickens in place of buckwheat.
Corn
Corn is one of the treats you can serve the chicken. Chicken can eat both the fresh corn as well as the dried one.
Corn is a good source of carbs and heat energy for the chickens during the winter. You can include corn into some of the feed you served them.
Peanuts
Peanuts can be served for the chickens as a treat. You can serve peanuts alone or together with other grains for the chickens. Peanuts provide the chickens with protein. Peanut is best served cooked for the chickens as a treat.
Cooked Beans
You guys have been for the chickens as a treat. Chickens may find it difficult to eat raw beans, so it is preferable to cook the beans before you serve the chickens. Beans are also a good source of fiber and protein for the chickens.
Watermelon
You can serve watermelons for the chickens as a treat. Watermelon is a good source of vitamins and minerals for the chickens and other pets you have in the yard.
Chickens can also eat watermelon rinds. Always take away the seeds before you serve watermelon for chickens.
Pizza
It should not be a surprise that chickens can also eat pizza because they are capable of eating different kinds of snacks.
Next time you are buying pizza for everyone in the family, you should include the one you are going to serve the chickens as a treat.
Treats that are poisonous to the chickens
It is also good to know some of the treats that are poisonous for the chickens and you should avoid them.
Sugar
You should never serve a treat which has high sugar in its content. The chickens are going to have a runny stomach which may lead to foul stool if you serve them treats that contain a lot of sugar.
Avocados
It is good to serve fruit for the chickens but avocado should not be one of them. All parts of avocados contain a toxic substance that can affect the well-being of the chickens.
Green beans
Green beans should not be part of the saying if you are going to serve the chickens. Green beans contain pesticide which may likely harm the chickens if they manage to consume the beans.
Conclusion
Chickens can eat buckwheat but not all of them are going to try it out. You can plant buckwheat on the runways or in the garden for the chickens.
There is no need to force feed buckwheat for the chickens if it happens that they don’t show much interest.
Reference
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/buckwheat-cover-crop-and-chickens.766725/
