Can Chickens Eat Parsley? (DIY Chicken Herb Garden)

A common question amongst new homesteaders is, can chickens eat Parsley?  In short, absolutely! There are many culinary herbs that can be incorporated into a chickens’ diet and parsley is one of their favorite herbs and probably one of the most beneficial to their health overall! Making these herbs accessible to them with the DIY Herb garden (in this post) is a great way to give them a tasty treat and healthy snacks.

Raising backyard chickens can be a fun and exciting hobby, but like all animals there can be some hard times too. That is why it is important to know about the different healthy herbs chickens can eat. As flock owners it is the best way to help our feathered friends have good overall health.

Are herbs really beneficial for chickens?

Sadly there are not many studies that show that incorporating herbs in chicken’s diet play an important role in chicken health. Quite honestly, it is pretty much the same across the board for all farm animals. Most of the veterinarians’ focus, you will find, belong to the large dairy farmers. Unless you are lucky enough to have a poultry health care vet in your local area, I have heard that they do exist, then you are left to the mercy of google to try to figure out how to heal your flock. 

Most of the herb remedies come from the old-timers’ methods of treatment. These farmers had no other way to help their animals other than by their own hand. A lot of these natural healing methods did work, otherwise it would not have be passed down. Herbs for human health have become widely popular over the past few years, and have shown to be very beneficial. So why could they not do the same for our farm animals.

What about toxic herbs?

I personally believe, and this may not be true, that animals have a way of intuitively eating. If a chicken is free-ranged, watch the way it will naturally go through the land grabbing what it needs. They are natural foragers and will take from the land what they need. Chances are, they are already eating a few different types of wild herbs in the area. I’m also pretty sure that there will even be some poisonous ones around that could even harm them. Most of the time, if not all, they will completely bypass them. I would never recommend force feeding any animal herbs, unless they are sick and it has been heavily researched, but I will always leave some type of free choice nutritious herb option so that they can take what they want to help with their needs. 

Best Herbs For Chicks and Chickens’ immune system

Herbs can have various benefits! I think the best herb to start with in the chicken coop, is a common herb like a culinary herb. With their high levels of vitamins and mineral density, nearly all of them have great health benefits and make great chicken treats!

1. Fresh parsley has great nutritional value for both chicks and chickens! For me, it is the nutritional powerhouse for overall health! Parsley is high in vitamin C, vitamin K, and vitamin A. These vitamins are a great way to help to build the chickens’ immune system, encourage good respiratory health, bone health, and blood circulation. Parsley contains compounds that effectively expel worms and parasites from chickens’ digestive tracts. I love growing parsley for our culinary needs, but for my palate, a little bit goes a long way! We are in zone 6A and when planted it goes crazy! By the end of summer I am cutting handfuls of it, parsley stems too, and heaving it over to them. They love it! 

2. Sage is another one of my favorite fresh herbs! Like parsley, it is an herb that can help with the overall health of a chicken. Sage has shown benefits against inhibiting filamentous fungi and yeast, which in turn may be beneficial for chickens suffering from sour crop.

3. Oregano is also great for chickens’ immune systems! Oregano is well known for its natural antibiotic properties. It is also thought to guard against common poultry illnesses such as salmonella, infectious bronchitis, avian flu and e coli.

4. Mint can help stimulate the production of digestive enzymes for proper digestive health in chickens. This can help reduce the risk of crop impaction, which cause digestive issues that are common in chickens. It is also said to be great for feather growth. During the summer months, growing this by the coop can help keep the mice and rats out! I have it growing on either side of my coop door for this reason, and so far, it has worked!

5. Dill can assist with respiratory health in chickens. Anytime I suspect hens having respiratory infections, I make sure to include this herb. I have found it to be a great addition to parsley and oregano for a delicious snack!

6. Marjoram has antibacterial properties that can be a healthy treat for your chickens. It is said that this herb is a laying stimulant (as it is said to be higher in protein) and can be added to their layer feed. 

7. Tarragon is another herb said to be high in protein and good for a chickens overall health and help to in courage strong immune systems.

8. Basil helps to deepen the cooler of the egg yolks and also helps with their respiratory system.

9. Clover is another healthy herb that is great for respiratory health. Chickens love foraging on fields of white clover! It also contains higher protein and can help during molting season along with complete chicken feed.

10. Echinacea (cone flower) has wonderful antioxidant, respiratory and immune system benefits not only for humans but for chickens’ health too! They will love both petals and leaves.

​11. Cilantro is also great for a chickens’ immune system!

Herbs for the chicken coop.

Turns out that chickens love the scent of garlic, rosemary, basil, spearmint, and thyme! Chop them up fine and mix them into your chicken dust bath and watch how happy they are! It will also help clean their feathers. These also would be wonderful herbs to grow in your DIY chicken garden! You can also add some to their nest boxes.

Hanging lavender leaves in the chickens coop would be a wonderful addition to because of its natural calming effect on the chickens. It is a true aromatic stress reliever. If not for them, then for me! The summer heat will really intensify the lavender smell, among others if you are not careful.

Creating a chicken garden

It is a wonderful idea to plant a chicken garden full of beneficial herbs for you chickens, but if you know chickens, then you know they will tear up a garden in a matter of minutes! That is why this Homemade chicken garden works! The chicken fence keep the herbs safe by only allowing the chickens to peck at the leaves and not rip out the entire plant. It can lay on the ground or be propped up for the chickens to enjoy.

For this DIY Chicken Garden, I planted flat leaf parsley, curly parsley, basil, and cilantro. You can do multiple herbs per planter cubby or you can even grow some dark leafy greens for them! Dark leafy greens also have a range of health benefits! Just make sure that you are feeding your chickens a balanced diet along with the free choice herbs.

Materials you will need for the DIY Chicken Herb Garden

​A pallet that is not chemically treated and has every other slat removed.

2 pieces of 2 X 4’s cut the length of your pallet.

Chicken wire

​Staple gun

Soil

6 herb plants (or more if you want to plant more than one per planter cubby)

Steps-by-Step guide to build the DIY Chicken Herb Garden

Make sure your pallet is heat treated and not chemical treated. There should be a stamp somewhere that says HT. The reason why you don’t want the pallet chemically treated is because it can leach into the soil, and therefore the plant, and we don’t want any toxic chemicals hurting out chickens! Remember, what they eat gets passed to their eggs! They do not make chemically treated pallets anymore, however, just in case you pick up a used one, check to make sure.

If your pallet has slats that are spaced out then skip this step. If it does not have slats like ours, then remove every other plank for your desired pockets.

Lay your fabric on top of your pallet cut a piece long enough so that it overlaps each side about two inches.

Fold the fabric in half long ways, and then cut it. These two pieces should be enough fabric to form the pockets for either side.

Fold the two pieces of cloth long ways again and cut the material in half. Repeat this process two more times to give you 8 rectangles. This will leave you two extra if you are only forming 6 pockets for your chicken garden herbs.

Turn the pallet over (the backside facing you) and begin to form the pocket by placing the long side of the material against the long side of the first rectangle on the pallet, as close to the edge as possible and still be able to get staples in. This will ensure that you still have a good amount of fabric to hold the plants.

Staple the center of the fabric. Then place two staples on either side of that staple, about four inches apart. Do not staple to the corner yet, until you form the pleat after the next step.

Then staple the fabric to the shorter side of the rectangle from the center out (making sure to place the material as far to the edge as possible like the previous step). 

Staple the shorter side, all the way to the corner.

To form a pleat at the corner, that is not entirely secured, by pinching the material and bringing it to the center of the long rectangle side previously stapled. Fasten it with a staple. 

Continue with this method for the other side of the box, and then again for the following five holes, to form pockets.

Cut two 2X4’s long enough to cover all of your pockets with chicken wire. Screw into the sides of the pallets from the back of the pallet. A couple of screws should do, one at the top and one at the bottom. 

Fill the pockets with soil and plant your herbs. 

Cut your chicken wire wide enough to overlap the two 2 X 4’s so that you can staple the chicken wire to the sides.

If your chicken wire is not long enough in one piece, you can overlap it like we did.

This chicken garden can be propped up against a fence or an object, or you can lay it on the ground for your chickens to enjoy! 

Make sure to water and feed your herbs as indicated on the plant care instructions so that your chicken can enjoy it throughout all the warmer months or growing season!