Comfrey is one of the perennial herbs that grows in the garden and surrounding area.
If you have comfrey in abundance on your property, and you are raising chickens as pets, you might be wondering if you can serve comfrey to the chickens as a treat.
In this blog post, you are going to discover if you can serve comfrey to the chickens as a treat or not.
Can chickens eat comfrey? Comfrey is good for the chickens. You can serve comfrey leaves to the chickens as a treat. Serve comfrey in moderation to the chickens to avoid liver damage in chickens.
If you have comfrey within the surrounding area, you can allow your chickens to have some nibbling on the leaves as a treat.
Table of Contents
Is comfrey poisonous to chickens?
Comfrey contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids which are capable of causing liver damage in chickens if they eat the plant in excess.
This is the reason why you need to serve comfrey to the chickens in moderation so as to avoid liver damage and some other side effects on the chickens.
With this, you may want to know if it is safe to serve comfrey to the chickens. You can still serve comfrey to the chickens but it should be once in a while.
In order to be certain about this, I asked some chicken owners about feeding comfrey to the chickens.
Majority of them said nothing happens to the chickens when they serve comfrey to the chickens, but it is good to serve the leaves in moderation.
A member of Backyard Chicken Forum said his chickens eat all the wild herbs in his garden and these include comfrey and host of others.
Another member of the forum said his chickens love comfrey and they always eat the plants to the ground anytime they have access to them.
He said he was forced to fence up the country in order to control the consumption of the plants by the chickens to avoid any side effects.
It is very essential to always do some research about the new treats you want to serve to the chickens.
You need to know the level of toxicity present in the new treat which you want to serve the chickens. It is also good to have a knowledge on the right proportion of a treat to serve the chickens
This comes with a lot of benefits. All these will help to prevent food poisoning on the chickens.
How do I introduce comfrey to my chickens?
Introducing comfrey to the chickens should not be something difficult. There is nothing to worry about on how to introduce comfrey to the chickens if it happens as they go on free range.
You can simply allow the chickens to have free access into the garden and have some niblings on the comfrey plants in the garden.
If it happens that you always have your chickens in an enclosed yard, you can simply pluck some leaves of comfrey plant and put it into the feeders for the chickens as a treat.
You can also hang the comfrey leaves in the air and let the chickens jump to have some pecks on the leaves.
This will help to minimise the amount of the comfrey the chickens are going to eat. The chickens are going to get tired overtime while they are trying to eat the corn free from the air.
How often do I feed my chickens with comfrey?
Comfrey should be regarded as a treat. This means comfrey should not be served to the chickens regularly.
I know you might be tempted to serve comfrey to the chickens regularly if it happens that you have the plant in abundance within the surrounding area.
You can serve comfrey to the chickens about once in a week and it should not be more than two times in a month.
Can chickens survive on comfrey alone?
There is no way the chickens are going to rely or survive on comfrey alone. The reason is that the plant does not offer much of the essential nutrients for the proper growth and wellness.
It is a bad practice to feed your chickens on a particular type of treat or feed for a long period of time.
You are going to deprive them of the essential nutrients which will enhance their growth and health.
If you really care about your pets, you need to feed them with varieties of treats that will not reach their body systems.
There are some chicken owners out there who don’t care about the things that go into the body system of the chickens.
They feed the chickens with any table scraps and leftovers without thinking about the effects those things will have on the chickens.
Can chicks eat comfrey?
I will not advise you to serve comfrey to the chicks. The reason is that the poisonous substance found in comfrey might have a great effect on their digestive systems.
Also comfrey does not contain protein and calcium in its nutritional facts. Both of the nutrients are very essential for maintaining proper growth and strong bone structure in the chicks.
You must serve feed that contains lots of protein to the chicks at their early stage so that they will grow faster. Protein is very essential for the growth of feathers on chicks.
Why are my chickens not eating comfrey?
The chickens are going to reject comfrey if it happens that they don’t find it palatable.
You should know that chickens can also be very selective in some of the things they eat.
The chickens are going to reject a treat you serve them if it has an effect on them when they first consume it.
When this happens, there is no need to force the comfrey on the chickens. You just need to look for another healthy treats to serve them.
Other treats you can serve the chickens
These are some of the healthy treats you can send the chickens if it happens that they reject the comfrey you serve them.
Corn
Corn is one of the healthy treats you can serve the chickens. The chickens are capable of eating both fresh and dried one. Corn provides the chicken with enough energy during the winter.
Lettuce
Lettuce is one of the healthy vegetables you can serve to the chickens as a treat. Latest provides the chickens with enough antioxidants to keep them healthy.
Tomatoes
You can also serve tomato fruits to the chickens as a treat. Tomatoes provide the chicken with essential vitamins and minerals that will enhance their health.
Cooked beans
Cooked beans are one of the healthy treats you can serve the chickens. Cooking helps to reduce the poisonous substance that is present in beans.
Conclusion
Comfrey is safe for the chickens. Comfrey leaves can be served to the chickens alone or together with other vegetables. You should only serve comfrey to the chickens in moderation. The chickens will have problems with their liver if they eat comfrey in excess.
