Mums are one of the plants that grows in the garden.
If you have mums in abundance in your surroundings, you might be wondering if you can serve the plants to the chickens as a treat.
In this blog post, you are going to discover if it is safe for the chickens to eat mums plants.
Can chickens eat mums? Chickens can eat mums. Mums can be served to the chickens in moderation as a treat. Chickens will experience running poop if they eat mums in excess.
There is nothing to panic about if you discover that your chickens are eating mums plants within the surrounding area. Just ensure that they do not go overboard about it.
Table of Contents
Are mums toxic to chickens?
All parts of mum plants are poisonous to the mammal. Since the chickens are not mammal, it means mums plants are safe for them provided they eat the plant in moderation.
Mums contain Pyrethrins which are only toxic to the insects that feed on the plant before they mature. However, this toxic substance is less effective on the chickens if they consume in moderation.
It is your duty as a pet owner to always make some findings about the new treat you want to serve the chickens.
You need to first determine the level of toxicity in the treat you want to introduce to the chickens.
You can still manage to serve the new treat to your girls if it has minimal traces of toxic substances in it. You just have to serve the treat to the chickens once in a while.
You should avoid a treat that has a high proportion of toxic substances. You should never listen even if other pet owners claim that their pets eat such treats.
I need to be honest, I have never fed mums to my chickens before, so I try to do little research about them in order to come up with the right information for you.
A member of the backyard chicken forum said his two chickens destroyed two big mum plants in his surrounding area and nothing happened to them after some days.
Another said his birds eat mum’s plants occasionally and they don’t fall sick as a result.
The only thing is that you should have control over the amount of mum plants the chickens eat otherwise they will start experiencing tummy upset and give out running poop.
How do I introduce mums to my chickens?
Introducing mums to the chickens should not be complicated. This will be pretty much easier if it happens that your chickens usually go on free range within the surrounding area.
You simply allow them to go over to the place where there are mum’s plants and they are going to eat the one that is enough for their body systems.
But it is very important to watch over them in order to control the amount of the mums’ plants they are going to eat.
If it happens that you have the mum’s plants far away from the place where you are raising chickens, you can simply get some and put it in the feeders for them.
The chickens are going to eat everything you put in the feeder if it happens that they found the plants appealing.
They might even check out for some more but it is good to serve the plants to them in moderation.
How often do I feed my chickens with mums?
Moderation is the main focus when it comes to introducing new treats to the chickens and other pets you have in the yard.
If it happens that you are helping the chickens to get mums from the surrounding area, you need to serve them a little amount of the plant.
The amount you are going to serve them must not be enough to satisfy all of them. This will help to minimise the effect of the plant on the chickens if there is going to be any problem.
If you are using this method, mums should not be served more than once in a month or two to the chickens.
Can chickens survive on mums alone?
Never make an attempt to rely your chicken on mum’s plant or any other treats for that matter if you truly care about that well-being.
There is no way the chickens are going to survive on mums only because it lacks some of the essential nutrients needed for day-to-day well-being of the chickens.
In addition to that, it is a bad practice to feed your chickens with a particular treat for a long period of time.
Some people engage in this when the medicated feed they serve the chicken has been exhausted and they don’t have much cash on them to get another one.
This is the reason why it is very important to have a wide range of healthy treats ready at your disposal in case the medicated feed of the pet has been exhausted.
Can chicks eat mums?
You should never serve the chicks with mums plants. The little amount of toxic substance in the plant can have a great effect on the chicks.
Besides that, mums plants do not contain protein and calcium which are very essential for the proper growth of the chicks at their early stage.
Most of the food you are going to serve the chicks must contain at least 18% of protein. This will ensure that they grow faster and develop numerous feathers on their bodies.
The same thing goes for calcium, It is very essential for the chicks in order to develop strong bone structure in the body system right from the early stage.
Why are my chickens not eating mums?
The chickens are going to reject the mum plant you serve them or ignore it while they are browsing around for some reason.
The chickens will never make an attempt to eat the mum’s plants if they don’t find it appealing.
Also the chickens are going to reject the plant if they try it out for the first time and it doesn’t go down well with their body systems.
Other treats you can serve the chickens
Here are some healthy treats you can serve the chickens if it happens that they are not eating the mums plants you have within the surrounding area.
Cabbage
Cabbage is one of the healthy vegetables you can serve the chickens as a treat. Cabbage is a good source of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals for the chickens.
Bread
Bread is one of the treats which you can serve the chickens. The chickens are capable of eating different kinds of bread except for the chocolate ones.
Cooked beans
We all know that raw beans contain toxic substances that can affect the chickens.
But I would like to let you know that the cooking process helps to minimise the toxic substance in the beans which makes cooked beans suitable for the chickens.
Millets
Millets one of the healthy treats you can serve the chickens. You can serve millets alone or together with other grain you serve the chickens. Millets are a good source of carbohydrates for the chickens.
Treats that are poisonous to the chickens
It is also good to know some of the treats that are poisonous to the chickens so as to avoid serving them.
Salty food
you should never serve any food that contains a noticeable taste of salt in them. The reason is that sodium, which is present in salt, is not good for the digestive system of chickens.
Avocados
Avocados I’m one of those things you should not serve the chickens because they contain a toxic substance on all parts.
Chocolate
Chocolate is also poisonous for the chickens. Chocolate contains a toxic substance that can cause stomach disorders in chickens.
Conclusion
Chickens can eat mums but it should be in moderation. The chickens are going to give out running poop if they eat mums in excess. You can serve mums together with other veggies you serve the chickens.
Reference
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/are-there-flowers-chickens-wont-eat.364505/
