#chicken foraging

[gemwel]

Chickens snacking on California buckwheat and Toyon berries. (Please note Toyon is legally protected in CA and cannot be foraged from the wild. We have our own plants to harvest from).

Both plants are drought tolerant and native to Southern California. The Toyon berries are a bit too fibrous for my taste (eating them is like trying to eat cherry flavored chewing gum), but the buckwheat produces an acceptable flour substitute (from gorgeous seed heads not pictured). I'm pruning back the buckwheat to shape it up for next year, so chickens get the prunings. The young shots of the buckwheat are extremely tasty, especially when added to salad (they have a sour lemon taste like sorrel).

[gemwel]

Chickens in the sand bath, having some socialization time. All the black hens are daughters of the black & white hen. The white hen is unrelated. The trees surrounding this area are starting to grow and shade the area nicely (sugar bush and mulberry, both are drought tolerant trees that produce edible berries enjoyed by chickens).

[gemwel]

Link to video of chickens foraging under their favorite tree.