Marigolds are one of the plants that beautifies the garden.
If you have marigolds in abundance at your disposal, and you have some chickens as pets, you might be wondering if marigolds are good for the chickens.
In this blog post, you are going to discover if it is safe for the chickens to eat marigolds or not.
Can chickens eat marigolds? Marigolds are safe for chickens. You serve marigolds to the chickens as treats. Too many marigolds can affect the yolk of the eggs produced by the chickens.
You should allow your chickens to have a field day with the marigolds and other plants you have in the garden when they are browsing around for pasture.
Table of Contents
Are marigolds toxic to chickens?
Some chicken owners don’t really care about the components of the treat they are serving the chickens.
Once they discover that a certain treat is good for the chickens, the next thing is to start feeding the chickens with the new treat always. This practice is common among the new chicken owners.
You must always make some findings about the new treat you want to serve your chickens. You need to look for the level of toxicity in the new treat you want to serve the chickens.
Now back to the main discussion, Marigold is safe for the chickens. Marigolds do not contain any poisonous substance that can affect the well-being and health of the chickens.
You don’t have to hesitate if you discover that your chickens are eating marigolds you have in the surrounding area.
Common toxic substances that are found in most weeds like solanine Thamamine Lectin etc cannot be found in Marigold.
Just make sure that you serve it in moderation anytime you want to give Marigold to the chickens.
To be more certain about this I asked some other chicken owners about feeding marigolds to the chickens.
One of them said that his chickens eat all the glowing marigold plants he has in the garden. None of the chickens has reported being sick or dead on any account.
How do I introduce marigolds to my chickens?
There is nothing special about introducing Marigold to the chickens. You should never worry yourself if it happens that the chickens go on free range.
They are capable of eating the amount that will satisfy their stomach. If you are afraid that they might go overboard with the plants, you can simply watch over them to control the amount they are going to eat.
If it happens that you always have the chickens in an enclosed yard. You can simply get some marigolds from the surroundings and serve them in the feeder.
You can start out with a small quantity to see how they are going to react to the new treat you are serving them.
You can mix marigold with other veggies which you serve the chickens in order to get them familiarised with the taste of the Marigold.
How often do I feed my chickens with marigolds?
Now you know that you can serve Marigold to the chickens, that does not mean that you need to serve the plants to the chickens regularly.
Marigold should be regarded as a treat. It is not something you serve to the chickens regularly.
If the chickens manage to consume Marigold in excess, it is going to affect the color of the egg yolk produced by the chickens.
It can be very tempting to always want to serve the treat you have at your disposal especially when you have them in abundance. Remember moderation is the key when it comes to serving treats to the chickens.
You should not serve marigolds to the chickens more than two times in a month even if you have it in abundance within the surrounding area.
Can chicks survive on marigolds alone?
It is not possible for chickens to survive on marigolds alone. The reason is that marigolds do not contain all the vital nutrients needed by the chickens on daily recommendation to remain healthy.
You are going to deprive your pets essential nutrients needed for the proper growth and their wellness.
This is the reason why it is good to have varieties of treats which you can serve the chickens if it happens that the main feed you serve them has been exhausted.
Can marigolds affect the eggs laid by chickens?
Marigold can affect the yolk of the egg produced by the chickens. The yolk of the eggs laid by the chickens will turn dirty brown if you allow the chickens to consume too much Marigolds.
This is the reason why it is very important to have control over the amount of Marigold you chickens consumes.
This will help to prevent overfeeding on the plant. Do not be tempted by the abundance of Marigolds to have in the garden.
Can chicks eat marigolds?
It is not recommended to serve marigolds to the chicks especially when they are still less than 4 weeks old.
The reason is that their digestive system is not strong enough to accommodate the substance found in Marigold and this can affect them negatively if they manage to eat the plant.
Besides this, marigolds lack a good amount of protein which is very essential for the rapid growth of the chicks.
Other essential nutrients like calcium and magnesium are also missing in the plant’s nutritional facts.
Other treats you can serve the chickens
These are some of the healthy treats you can serve the chickens.
Apples
Apples are a good source of fibre for the chickens. Apples can be served to the chickens alone. But you need to slice the apples into smaller pieces to make it pretty much easier for them to pick up while eating.
Berries
Chickens are capable of eating different types of berries. Berries are a good source of antioxidants for the chickens. Just make sure you serve the berries in moderation for the chickens.
Carrots
You can serve carrots to the chickens as a treat. Carrots are a good source of vitamin A for the chickens. You also need to slice carrots into smaller pieces for the chickens. Carrot tops should not be served to the chickens as they contain toxins.
Cabbage
Cabbage is one of the healthy vegetables you can serve the chickens as a treat. Cabbage is a good source of antioxidants for the chickens.
Popcorn
You can also serve popcorn to the chickens as a treat. just make sure the one you are going to serve them does not contain sugar or salt to be on safer side.
Treats that are poisonous to the chickens
It is good to know these poisonous treats so as to avoid serving them to the chickens.
Avocados skin
You should not serve avocado skin to the chickens because it contains poisonous substances.
Candy
Candy contains sugar and this makes it unsuitable for the chickens as a treat. Likewise, it is not good to serve anything that contains salt to the chickens.
Chocolate
Chocolate is one of those treats you should not serve the chickens. Chocolate is not good for the majority of the pets.
Conclusion
Chickens can eat marigolds but it is good to serve it to them in moderation. The chickens are going to eat Marigold which is enough for them when they are browsing around for pasture.
Reference
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/marigolds-for-chickens.748896/
