Getting The Birds To Eat Kale

 Seems like every health food icon is promoting the benefits of dark leafy green vegetables especially Kale. My family eats kale in scrambled eggs for breakfast most mornings but when I feed it to the birds they either avoid eating it or eat very little and waste most of it!

During the summer months, I fed my birds lots of dark green minced broccoli leaves, so why not minced kale.


I simply put the kale in the food processor and process and add it with broccoli to quinoa along with maybe some thawed peas and corn. Birds love it then and clean up every bite.

If I see excessive aggression and I am interested in slowing the aggressive cocks down a bit, I add more greens to the menu! Today, I saw some cocks feeding other cocks and likewise hens feeding hens but I observed an occasional cock cage where the border cocks were trying to jump on top and pin other border cocks. I do not want to see this get out of hand and become a blood bath. Even with this behavior most are not tubular enough in shape and I do not see cock feathers hanging down.

You may have noticed that I am not feeding cous cous at this time. The reason is any wheat products seems to promote early egg laying and I am at least 4 weeks preferably 5 or even 6 weeks till I am totally happy with the cock and hen readiness. I do not give the cous cous to hens till all conditions are right for breeding but I may give some to cocks if they are lagging a bit in a couple of weeks. When breeding begins, lots of cous cous will be fed.