Herbs for chooks!

[Nicos]

Just found this and thought I'd share...it's something I had wondered about for a while...

Natural Chicken Keeping: Herbs and Their Uses for Your Chickens' Health

anyone tried this?
any thoughts?

[veggiechicken]

When I cut down the mint and lemon balm I throw it in their run - but that's for my pleasure, not theirs.
I've never seen them eat any herbs from choice when they're roaming the garden.

[lottie dolly]

Mine turn their beeks up at oragano,mint and the trimmings off next doors bay tree,LD had to leave the building ,is now back,have just taken a lavender head down,again beeks turned away,so put it in the nest box spoilt bungle of feathers.

[4Shoes]

Every plant you want is a herbal remedy to a chicken

[Snoop Puss]

^Yes!

When I let the hens out to roam, the first thing they encounter is a vast swathe of chamomile. No interest whatsoever. Grass, lettuce and onions are their current favourites.

Reading the comments at the bottom of the article, it looks like the authors are recommending a lot of these for including in nesting boxes and coops. And if I'm reading it right, it looks like the author is extrapolating from the medicinal properties of other herbs in humans. Not sure you can do this, as animals and humans don't always respond in the same way to medicines. I'd be wary of adding them to food and thereby forcing them to eat them. I would just let them try herbs while out and about. Though I don't see a problem with adding sweet scented herbs to bedding and the like.

[mrsbusy]

Hi - so mine will eat the fading flowers off chives - guess they are starting to turn to seed; they don't touch them when they are first flowering. They eat comfrey and borage leaves. And all the flowers off my Johnstons Blue geranium but not the other varieties. and anything else they take a fancy too. But they won't touch the mint patch or a bed of Marjoram