Can chickens take tomato tops?

A neighbor gave me green tomatoes and cut tomato tops and recommended them as bait for chickens. How healthy are tomatoes and their green parts for laying hens? How often can you feed them?

Ripe fruits of the nightshade family - tomatoes and eggplants - can be introduced in small quantities into the diet of chickens. But an excess of these vegetables can lead to digestive problems in birds.

It is strictly forbidden to feed the bird leaves, stems and green fruits of tomatoes. All nightshades contain the poison solanine. The tops contain 0.25%. Even minimal amounts are toxic to chickens. This organic compound destroys red blood cells and depresses the nervous system, which leads to dehydration, convulsions, and death. The poison cannot be neutralized by anything, not even by heat treatment.

Is it possible to give chickens bread?

In general, no. If yes, then it is very desirable to use yeast-free, whole grain, in the form of crackers and mash. Very rarely - white bread crackers. If possible, exclude bread, replace it with crushed bread and bran.

The fact is that fresh bread and flour can cause congestion in the gastrointestinal tract, swelling and turning into an indigestible lump. Birds also don’t really need yeast.

You should not give your bird black bread at all, especially sour bread that causes fermentation!

Watermelon diet

Losing weight on a watermelon diet is based mainly on removing excess fluid from the body. The previous weight may soon return, but there will still be benefits for the body - toxins will be eliminated, metabolism will be normalized.

The watermelon diet lasts two to four days. It is not worth sticking to it any longer - the body will begin to experience an acute lack of nutrition. A watermelon mono-diet is contraindicated for gastritis, stomach ulcers and diabetes.

During the diet, you are only allowed to eat watermelon. Additionally, you can include a couple of pieces of black bread in your diet. Drinks include still mineral water, green tea without sugar. The maximum daily amount of watermelon is 1.5 kg.

The easiest way to preserve watermelon for the winter is to freeze it. The pulp is cut into cubes, pitted, placed in a container and placed in the freezer. Judging by the reviews, frozen watermelon is convenient to use for making desserts and cocktails.

Prohibited foods for chickens and chickens

Exotic fruits

The contraindication is relative: it is unknown how the bird’s body will perceive the “exotic”. So it’s better to leave yourself pineapple, kiwi and other essential oil oranges with starchy bananas.

Dairy

Chickens do not have the enzyme to digest lactose, so whole milk products, cheese, and butter are strictly excluded. Fatty fermented milk too (see above for permitted fermented milk).

Sweets

Sweets, especially flour, are only harmful to birds. Just like bread, it provokes fermentation and unfavorable changes in flora in the digestive tract of birds.

Raspberries

Creating a raspberry garden is a real gift for poultry. Chickens generally love berries, and raspberries are healthy for them within reasonable limits. Berries are rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

We're all familiar with red raspberries, but you can actually choose yellow and purple varieties, all of which are completely safe for poultry.

Can chickens eat raspberry seeds and leaves? There are several plants that bear edible fruit but have poisonous leaves, seeds or pits. In the case of chickens, nightshades and rhubarb, whose leaves are toxic to birds, come to mind. But with raspberries, you can rest easy: neither the berries, nor the seeds, nor any parts of the plant are toxic, so raspberries can be safely grown for free-range chickens.

If you planted raspberries for juice or wine for yourself, give the pulp to the chickens after processing - 1 tablespoon per bird.

Sea buckthorn

Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) has been used for centuries for its nutritional and medicinal properties. This is an unpretentious and frost-resistant shrub that produces orange-yellow berries.

Oils from berries, leaves, seeds or pulp contain many beneficial bioactive compounds and are a rich source of natural antioxidants, including vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, flavonoids, organic acids and phytosterols. Numerous studies have been conducted demonstrating the beneficial effects of sea buckthorn on both humans and chickens.

Specific applications being explored in poultry farming include:

Additional benefits: sea buckthorn provides shelter for birds in hot or bad weather, and also serves as a windbreak when planted near the coop.

Red Ribes

In small doses, red currants are beneficial for chickens and enhance the color of the yolk, but in large doses they cause diarrhea. Interestingly, chickens prefer red rather than black currants, judging by reviews from poultry farmers.

It is better to protect young red currant bushes with a cubic fence made of wire or wood to allow a strong root system to form. Since currant branches are spreading, nothing will prevent chickens from harvesting berries without harming young plants.

Additional benefits of planting currants: hedges, attracting pollinating insects.

Gooseberry

Chickens will enjoy eating gooseberries. Don't worry about them getting hurt on the thorns, that won't happen.

As for gooseberry leaves, there are different opinions. Some warn that if they eat gooseberry leaves, chickens will die a terrible and painful death, since the leaves contain cyanide.

Additional benefits. Gooseberries make excellent hedges, including for limiting walking, as well as feeding areas for pollinating insects.

Silver elk or Russian olive

Chickens, like other birds, are very fond of Russian olives.

The silver oleaster, which produces these fruits, is a hardy and prolific plant that grows in the most unfavorable conditions. A wonderful option for arranging a walking area for chickens and hedges.

Silver sucker is not afraid of wet or dry soil, but can become aggressive. Since the Russian olive loses its lower branches over time, chickens should trim the top for better branching closer to the ground.

Source

What grass should you not feed chickens?

These are poisonous or harmful herbs, tops, branches. Of course, your feathered pets themselves can distinguish safe plants from dangerous ones. But anything can happen. Therefore, you need to be careful, especially when harvesting meadow grass for winter feeding.

You should not give chickens:

burdock;
cockle;
hemlock;
henbane;
belladonna;
elderberry;
broom;
celandine;
hellebore;
spotted hemlock;
white acacia;
juniper;
horse chestnut

The golden general rule when choosing herbs is this: if in doubt, don’t give it. Moreover, even medicinal herbs and plants in excessive quantities will be dangerous.

So, as you can see, you can introduce many foods into your chickens’ diet. Take care of their proper nutrition, and the bird will delight you with excellent health, good weight gain and eggs, even in winter.

Today, many farmers are engaged in breeding domestic animals. The most important thing is to know how to do it correctly. Any poultry farmer knows that proper feeding plays an important role when raising chickens. Only if the chickens receive a balanced, healthy diet will the farmer be able to obtain quality products. In this article we will try to figure out what you should not feed chickens, how to improve their egg production through nutrition, and whether it is possible to give flour products to birds.

First place

Even though a chicken is an unpretentious bird, it still shouldn’t absorb all kinds of waste. Therefore, if you add boiled potatoes to the chicken mash, you do not need to choose green, sprouted and spoiled potatoes for this. It has been proven that heat treatment does not affect solanine. There is also no need to give birds potato or tomato tops as green food for the same reason - the presence of solanine in them. It has been noticed that birds on a walk do not themselves pay much attention to nightshade tops.

However, if birds are kept in a pen and no other food is offered to them, the birds simply have no choice. Green tomatoes that may remain with you after harvesting are also not suitable for food. If your chickens are constantly exposed to solanine poison, they may experience various gastrointestinal disorders, vomiting, and diarrhea.

What is best to give to pets?

So what do you need to know about it? Many novice farmers are interested in what they can and cannot feed domestic chickens. Typically, garden and kitchen waste is used for this purpose. Poultry can be given potatoes that are unsuitable for use. Green, too small or sprouted tubers are suitable. Chickens are also given potato peelings. One bird can eat 50-100 grams of such food per day.

It is also advisable to give chickens bread in dry or soaked form. You can also include ground bones, leftover meat, and fish offal in your diet. Beet and carrot tops, leftover berries and fruits are great for laying hens. You can make a mash from these ingredients.

Rules for choosing when purchasing

What to look for when buying a watermelon in order to choose a ripe, high-quality fruit? No matter how great the temptation, you should not buy the delicacy before mid-August - the likelihood of nitrate poisoning is too high. To choose a ripe watermelon, you need to know five subtleties

Crust. The surface should be hard, glossy and bright.
Sound. If you knock on a ripe watermelon, the sound will be loud. Thick-barked varieties have a higher sound than thin-barked varieties.
Weight. The optimal weight is 4-5 kg. It is dangerous to buy watermelons that are too large.
Pedicel. The “tail” must be dry - this is one of the main indicators of ripeness.
Color. It is desirable that there is a highlighted yellow spot on one side - this is the area in contact with the ground.

A high-quality fruit should not have damage on the surface. Even through minor cracks, pathogenic bacteria penetrate, causing spoilage of the pulp.

Protein nutrition

What makes it special? What can and cannot be fed to chickens? Advice from experienced farmers often contains references to protein foods.

These include:

buttermilk;
milk;
cottage cheese;
serum;
curdled milk;
fish or meat waste;
small fish;
shellfish

To prepare chicken mash, cake and meal from agricultural crops are often taken. Small amphibians, chafers and worms can be used as a source of protein in the diet.

Application of compound feeds

Is it worth it or not? Owners of large farms talk about the convenience of using compound feed. It is recommended to select specific feeds designed for your type of poultry. For example, there are certain foods on sale today that increase egg production. If you are raising meat breeds, then the food should not contain components that reduce weight gain.

In terms of nutritional value and composition, ready-made food is in no way inferior to natural food. From 60 to 70% of the composition is oats, bran, millet and barley. 20-30% are corn and legumes. The food also includes berries, vegetables, vitamins and minerals, bone meal, milk powder and dried herbs.

Cooking recipes

You can click this “delicacy” without pre-treatment, if there are no contraindications. But chewing watermelon seeds is not so easy, and hardly anyone would want to remove the hard shell.

The easiest way to prepare them is to dry them in the oven. The seeds must be washed thoroughly and placed on a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Then they should be placed on a baking sheet and kept in the oven for 30 minutes. at a temperature of 80 degrees.

Watermelon seeds will be even more appetizing if you roast them. Here's how the seeds are prepared: take ripe grains and wash them. While they are drying, make a brine from 50 ml of water and 1 tsp. salt. Heat the frying pan well, pour the seeds onto it (without adding vegetable fat). Fry, stirring all the time, for about 6 minutes, until the seeds begin to darken. Then add salt water and boil until all the liquid has evaporated.

Secrets of making medicinal compositions:

For worms, jaundice and dropsy: you need to dry the watermelon seeds in the oven and grind them into powder. Then dilute them with milk in a ratio of one to ten. The daily dose is a glass. Drink the mixture before meals or take the entire serving on an empty stomach.
To expel parasites, you can use another recipe: 1 tbsp. crushed raw grains, pour 250 ml of cold water (boiled). Leave it overnight. In the morning, the infusion should be filtered and the entire volume should be drunk at one time. The course of therapy is three days.
In case of high blood pressure, dried kernels and peels (they need to be taken in equal volumes) should be ground to flour. Take half a teaspoon twice a day. Within a week the pressure will stabilize.
In case of uterine bleeding, fresh seeds (without shell) should be crushed with a wooden pestle in a ceramic bowl, mixed with milk (per 200 ml - 1 tbsp). Drink 3-4 tbsp of decoction. l. throughout the day at two-hour intervals.

Use this unusual “medicine” with caution, keeping in mind its side effects. If watermelon seeds are consumed in excessive quantities, they can cause diarrhea and even colic.

To make sure that your body is not against such a “delicacy”, it is better to start with a few things a day.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=gkijxcqerxg

How to prepare food?

Proper feeding of chickens requires careful grinding of all components. Carrots, beets and other root vegetables should be given to birds in grated raw form. The potatoes must first be boiled. This will get rid of excess starch. Eating green potatoes often leads to food poisoning. Also make sure that vegetables, grains and herbs are free of dirt and debris.

Watermelon, medicinal properties

For medicinal purposes, watermelon is prescribed as a diuretic, choleretic, antifever, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antianemic, antisclerotic, detoxifying, hypotensive, tonic and laxative.

The therapeutic effect of watermelon is to stimulate the process of hematopoiesis (due to the large amount of iron), remove cholesterol from the body (folic and ascorbic acids), normalize metabolism and intestinal function (pectins and fiber), regulate acid-base balance and water-salt metabolism ( alkaline substances of the pulp), in enhancing diuresis with the removal of excess salts.

Fiber and pectin substances contained in watermelon pulp are practically not digested, but adsorb toxic substances, help eliminate cholesterol and optimize intestinal microflora, have a beneficial effect on peristalsis and do not cause flatulence.

Vitamin C and folic acid, involved in the synthesis of amino acids, have an anti-sclerotic effect. Folic acid is a very unstable vitamin: it is destroyed in light and during heat treatment. Watermelon pulp effectively solves the problem of folic acid and magnesium deficiency: 200 grams of pulp provides the daily requirement of these components.

The increased potassium content makes watermelon beneficial for patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases and edema. Watermelon, as a source of magnesium, relieves muscle spasms, reduces nervous excitability, and stabilizes blood pressure.

Watermelon reduces the risk of developing cancer because it contains the antioxidant lycopene (7.2 mg per 100 g), the content of which ranks first among fruits and vegetables.

Watermelon is also recommended for the prevention of hypertension, as it contains the amino acid citrulline, which is converted into arginine, and also with its help, nitric oxide is formed, which dilates blood vessels by affecting the tone of the vascular wall.

Watermelon is an effective remedy for inflammation and colds, since it mainly (more than 90%) consists of water, and its diuretic properties (without irritation of the urinary tract and kidneys) allow you to replace drinking plenty of water with drinking watermelon pulp (up to 2 kg per day ).

It is also used for pyelonephritis, nephritis, cystitis, and kidney stones. Ripe watermelons are used in folk medicine for leukemia, spleen and liver cancer. In addition, watermelon juice dissolves and removes toxins from the liver. Therefore, it is indispensable for acute food poisoning, when used in the treatment of diseases, antibiotics, and anesthesia.

Prohibited Products

What can and cannot be fed to chickens? The advice of experienced farmers prescribes not to include baked goods and sweets in the diet of chickens. It is permissible to give grain bread to chickens in small quantities. In addition, food should not contain excess salts. If you want to flavor your food with fish oil, then choose only the highest quality product. Poor raw materials can cause an unpleasant odor from chicken products.

Consuming large amounts of whole milk can cause the development of dysbiosis in birds. The list of prohibited products also includes sausages, smoked meats, mushrooms, sausages, cheese, butter, spices, semi-finished fish products, confectionery and jam.

Reasons for fattening tomatoes in a greenhouse and ways to eliminate the problem

There may be several reasons why tomatoes become fattened, but they are all a consequence of ill-conceived planting and errors in plant care.

High stocking density

High planting density reduces the level of illumination of plants. Compensating for the lack of sunlight necessary for photosynthesis, tomatoes actively increase their green mass. To correct the situation, you need to carefully remove some of the leaves that prevent normal lighting of the flower brushes and ovaries.

Suboptimal temperature

The optimal temperature for proper growth and ripening of tomatoes during the day is 22-24°C, at night - 16-18°C. Pollen growth and production stop at temperatures below 10°C. Temperatures above 30°C cause flowers and ovaries to fall off.

To create a favorable microclimate in hot weather, greenhouses are ventilated.

At low temperatures, additional covering of greenhouse beds with film is used, the side walls of the greenhouse are covered with foam film, and the soil is covered with film or black non-woven fabric.

Too much fertilizer

Excess nitrogen leads to rapid growth of tops, while flowers, more like weakly colored small buds, are formed in small quantities, and fruits are not set. To prevent excess nutrients in the soil, the soil is not fertilized with fresh manure, and fertilizing with slurry is also avoided.

High air humidity

Tomatoes do not need high soil and air humidity. With excessive watering, foliage grows and fruiting is suppressed. In addition, with frequent irrigation, the root system develops weak and unable to withstand drought.

It is recommended to water tomatoes no more than once a week during plant growth; when the fruits are poured en masse, the frequency of watering is increased to 2-3 times a week.

Lack of light

Tomatoes are a light-demanding crop. With a lack of sunlight, the formation and ripening of fruits is suspended, and the plant spends all its energy on leaf growth. When planting tomatoes, you should choose unshaded areas.

Greens for laying hens

What is its use? In the warm season, half of the diet of poultry can consist of fresh greens. This approach will help provide chickens with all the necessary components and microelements. In addition, such fresh nutrition can significantly improve productivity. The advantage of feeding grass is also its cost-effectiveness. Green food helps improve the taste of eggs. The yolk from such feeding will be brighter. Grass is easily digested by birds and is easier to digest than artificial feed.

What grass should I give to adults?

The feed mixture may contain 15-30% green components. Adults should be given herbs such as plantain, nettle, alfalfa, wood lice, dandelion, wheatgrass, clover, cereals, spurge, and sorrel. You can also include legumes and durum vegetables in your chickens' diet. Cabbage leaves are a good source of vitamins. You can also include beet tops, green onions, dill, and parsley in the diet for chickens. Amaranth is high in healthy proteins.

Possible reasons for low productivity

Strict adherence to bird nutrition recommendations does not exclude problems, in particular a drop in productivity. There may be several reasons for this phenomenon:

Shedding. The physiological period of plumage loss is accompanied by a large consumption of nutrients. They are required to renew the plumage of birds. This is why birds have too little strength left to lay eggs. During this period, birds have an increased need for valuable substances. Therefore, experts advise increasing the amount of animal food in the bird menu. They should be given a lot of protein foods.
Incorrect lighting. Decreasing day length is a common cause of problems.
Frequent change of nest location.
Sudden temperature fluctuations.
Unbalanced diet.
Overfeeding.
Lack of water or insufficiently frequent water changes.
Diseases.
Stress factors.

Chicken nutrition is of great importance. In order for birds to develop normally and be highly productive, their diet must be as balanced as possible.

How to serve grass?

Birds can either independently peck greens in the place where they grow, or consume them together with the feed mixture. Experts recommend hanging tufts of grass near the feeding area. This way the chickens won't trample them. As a rule, birds independently choose which greens suit them best. You can safely give them herbal mixtures and weeds. The only exceptions are poisonous plants. In winter, when there is not enough greenery, you can feed the birds dried pine flour and sprouted wheat grains.

Bird Care Tips

How to rid chickens of feather eaters and lice.

The chicken will get rid of parasites on its own if you give it a bathtub filled with sand mixed with ash. Once a week, this mixture must be replaced with a new one, or roasted in the oven, to destroy parasites.

The barn is regularly cleaned and whitewashed. Bunches of tansy and wormwood are hung on the walls; the smell of these herbs has a depressing effect on parasites.

How to help a chicken during molting.

To speed up the process of replacing an old feather with a new one, the daylight hours for chickens are reduced to 8 hours. Feeding should be nutritious. It is useful to add feed sulfur to the feed, 3–5 g per individual.

During the molting period, chickens are not allowed to roost if the outside temperature drops below +15 degrees.

Herbs unsuitable for feeding

What are they? What to feed laying hens? Prohibited foods include a number of herbs. To eliminate the possibility of poisoning, experienced farmers recommend limiting the place where chickens can walk. Poisonous herbs must be dug up along with the roots, otherwise they will sprout again. What plants are considered dangerous for birds? These are elderberry, spotted hemlock, broom, hemlock, potato inflorescences, henbane, belladonna, hellebore, black nightshade, juniper, and horse chestnut. If a bird eats any of the plants on this list, it may become seriously ill or even die. You definitely need to keep an eye on your chickens. In addition, you need to understand herbs. To completely eliminate the possibility of harmful plants getting into the diet, it is better to keep chickens in closed enclosures and give them greens only with food.

Is it possible to eat watermelon with white seeds?

Some lovers of the striped delicacy associate the presence of white seeds in watermelon with the content of nitrates and chemicals in it. White watermelon seeds are explained by other reasons:

Such grains may be present in an unripe watermelon if it was removed from the melon plant too early.
Another reason for the appearance of white grains is the work of breeders. Some plant varieties (especially European and Turkish) contain soft white watermelon seeds; they do not affect the taste and quality of the fruit; the harm and benefits of such seeds are similar to ordinary black ones.

It is better to avoid unripe watermelon with colorless grains. And specially grown varieties can and should be consumed.

Is it possible to give bread?

The main requirement for a balanced diet for chickens is the presence of nutritional and beneficial elements such as fats, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. In this regard, a completely logical question arises: “Is it possible to give chickens bread?” Opinions on this matter vary greatly. The type of baking is of great importance here. If you mix bread with bran, cottage cheese, meat, herbs and potatoes, you will get a good complete food for birds. Such food will not harm the health of chickens and will have a good effect on the level of egg production. As for fresh bread, it is not recommended to give it to birds. Such a product can adversely affect the health of the chicken and also reduce immunity.

The fact is that in chicken stomachs, fresh bread swells and turns into a dense lump. This may even lead to the death of the bird. Black varieties of bread are especially dangerous. They contain salt and yeast, and also have a high level of acidity. This composition helps to activate the fermentation mechanism, which reduces egg production.

Many household owners believe that spoiled bread can be given to chickens. However, moldy baked goods can cause serious harm to birds. It can lead to poisoning and metabolic problems. To deprive moldy baked goods of the negative impact, you need to keep them in the oven.

Can any bread be given to birds? What should you not feed chickens? In no case is it recommended to give sweet buns and pastries with various fillings. This type of diet contributes to blood thickening and can lead to digestive disorders. Since white bread is also high in carbohydrates, it can only be given in the form of crackers. But even in this form, you should not be zealous with feeding. In winter, bread can be an excellent source of energy for birds. However, if chickens are kept in cages or small enclosures, it is better not to use such food. This type of food, combined with a lack of exercise, can cause blockages in blood vessels.

Tomato tops from pests

Tomato tops will be useful in the garden as a natural insecticide. Its effectiveness against a number of insect pests has been known for a long time and is due to the presence of a toxic compound, solanine, in all parts of the plant.

What insects can tomato tops protect against:

To prepare an effective remedy against these insects, you need to prepare an infusion or decoction from tomato tops. All green parts of the plant are suitable - leaves, stems, shoots.

To prepare an infusion, pour 10 liters of warm water into 1 kg of fresh crushed tomato tops, leave for at least 4-5 hours, and then add 40 g of planed bar soap (or 3 tablespoons of liquid soap) as an adhesive.

To prepare a decoction, 4 kg of fresh crushed leaves and stems of tomatoes are poured into 10 liters of water and boiled over low heat under a lid for about half an hour. After cooling, the broth is filtered, diluted with water in a ratio of 1:4 and 40 g of soap are added.

Spraying of crops affected by pests with an infusion or decoction of tomato tops is carried out at intervals of a week. It is not recommended to do this only during the flowering phase. In this way, you can treat not only garden and vegetable plants, but also indoor plants, as well as seedlings.

This infusion or decoction can be stored for up to six months in tightly sealed glass containers in a cool place. Or you can dry the tops for future use (it’s better to do this in the shade in the fresh air) and use them as needed. A decoction of dry tomato tops is prepared in slightly different proportions. Take 1 kg of crushed raw materials per 10 liters of water, leave for 4 hours, and then boil under a lid over low heat for another couple of hours. The concentrated broth is cooled, and before use it is additionally diluted with water 1:4.

It is better to treat plants early in the morning or in the evening, when the heat subsides, so as not to burn the leaves.

Do not exceed the consumption rates of tomato tops specified in the recipe and do not use tops infected with diseases to prepare infusions and decoctions, so as not to spread the infection throughout the area.