Can Chickens Eat Cabbage? | Cabbage Worms And Cores

To keep your domestic pet happy, you have to try different feeds. Having backyard chickens is not just a hobby but a responsibility as well. Giving them a well-balanced diet is important. To get a healthy batch of organic eggs, chickens should eat multiple nourishing foods. Besides fruits and vegetables, they love to have both sweet and savory edibles. You can also offer them other supplements to fulfill the minerals and vitamins requirements of the body.

Can chickens eat cabbage? Yes, they do eat it. Cabbage is the cheapest and readily available option at the supermarkets. Cabbage is an affordable vegetable full of healthy components. If it is possible to grow cabbage in your backyard that would be fabulous. You can feed the chicks and mother chickens on the fresh, homemade grown cabbage. Let’s have a look at how beneficial cabbage is for chicken’s development? Can they eat all types of cabbage? First, discuss the nutritional value of cabbage.

What Nutrients Does Cabbage Offer For The Chickens?

Cabbage is low in calories and is an essential source of nutrients. A bowl of raw cabbage usually has 1 percent of protein, 2 g of fiber, Vitamin B, Vitamin C6, folate, manganese, magnesium, potassium, and calcium. In cooked form, the amount of vitamin C gets doubled in cabbage. 

How does cabbage benefit the Chicken body?

Cabbage is a healthy vegetable densely packed with minerals and vitamins. It helps chickens in many ways, especially in producing healthy eggs. 

Green cabbage is a great source of Vitamin C, which helps to make bones stronger and enhance muscle functioning. The presence of vitamin C helps the body to work against chronic diseases.

Improve digestive health

Fiber is a useful nutrient for the digestive health of chickens. Crunchy, green cabbage has a lot of fiber in it. It helps the chicken to digest food easily. Moreover, it enhances bowel movement. When the digestive system of chickens remains normal, they will grow productive and healthy. 

Cabbage has antioxidants which are good catalysts to prevent chronic inflammation. Prevention from chronic inflammation is crucial because it leads to other health diseases. 

It keeps the heart healthy by lowering cholesterol levels:

A moderate amount of cholesterol is not bad because our body needs it. However, if the cholesterol level increases, it directly affects heart health. Cabbage has phytosterols substances that assist in lowering the cholesterol levels in the blood. 

Can Chickens Eat Purple/Red Cabbage?

Chickens will enjoy eating purple cabbage or sometimes called red cabbage. All the cabbages have potential nutrients, but purple cabbage is rich in vitamin A content. In comparison with white cabbage, purple cabbage has three times more vitamin A present in it. Vitamin A helps to maintain the immune system, promotes vision, and skin health. It just depends on the owner, whether he likes to give chicken purple or white cabbage. 

Do Chickens Love Cabbage Worms?

You will be amazed by knowing that chickens do love to have cabbage worms. If you are purchasing organic cabbage from the market, then there will be no worms. However, whoever grows cabbage in the garden knows about cabbage worms. White butterflies with black spots on their bodies, visit plants and leave moths on them. These moths lay eggs called larva. These larvae, when times come, turn into cabbage worms. 

Chickens will adore eating cabbage worms and prevent them from spoiling the plants. If you have grown cabbage in your backyard and have chickens, let them walk freely. They will love to pick and eat worms. 

Can Chickens Eat Cabbage Cores?

Cabbage core or outer leaves are healthy and packed with micro-nutrients. You may find cabbage cores hard to eat for the chickens, but the reality is the opposite. Chickens will love to peck on cabbage cores. No matter how firm you find it, if chickens want to eat up, they will peck on it. 

After serving the cabbage outer layer, you will see little pieces of it done by the chickens. It is better to give the cabbage cores to chickens after chopping them in small chunks. Feeling exhausted and not wanting to chop the cabbage core, leave it on the chicken. He will chop it by himself. 

Can A Baby Chicken’s Stomach Digest Cabbage?

When a baby chicken is born, his stomach is very weak and sensitive. Gradually mother teaches him how to peck on the feed. Until the baby chicken is three weeks old, they just rely on the commercial feed. Their feed has all sorts of grains, like wheat, rice, corn, and oatmeal. Baby chickens do not need extra nutrients at this time.

When the chickens get older than three weeks, it’s the right time to start introducing them to vegetables. Now you can serve them cabbage but in moderation. Green vegetables, if provided before a certain age, can cause diarrhea problems. When they hatch, let their stomach and body grow and mature enough to handle green vegetables. 

Ways To Give Cabbage To The Chickens

There are certain things that one should care about while giving cabbage to the chickens.

Not all people can afford organic cabbage because it is a bit more expensive than the other one. Un-organic cabbage has pesticides on it, so wash it properly. Pesticides are harmful or may be toxic for the chickens. Therefore, precaution is better than cure. 

Moderation is the key

You cannot give a whole bunch of cabbage to your chicken because they just love to have it. Moderation is the key achievement in balancing a healthy diet and lifestyle. Chicken’s daily feed mostly comprises different grains. Cabbage intake should be maintained at just 10 percent of its total. 

Coming to the query of whether cabbage should be given in raw or cooked form? The answer is yes, both forms are acceptable for the chickens. If it’s raw, chop it on a chopping board or grind it in a grinder. Eating a whole loaf may be difficult for them. While in cooked form, it already gets soft. Chicken does not find it hard to consume and is easily digestible. 

How Can Chickens Have Fun With Cabbage?

While enjoying treats, chickens must do some exercise as well. Exercise is important to keep the chicken’s body healthy. It makes their muscles and bones strong.

If you are planning to feed your chicken any color of cabbage, play with them. With the help of a rope, hang the cabbage a bit higher than their height in their cage. You can also hang the cabbage bunch with some plant or tree branches. Chickens will go crazy about having the taste of cabbage as soon as possible. They will jump and try repeatedly to have the cabbage. 

In this way, they can have treats while engaging their body muscles. 

Conclusion

Cabbage is a great vegetable full of potential nutrients to boost up the chicken’s overall health. Chickens can be fed on any color cabbage from white to red, purple, and more. No matter if the chicken just demands it, do not give more than the desired ratio. 

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