How to Dry Rose Hips for Chickens

With the rising cost of commercial poultry feed it is a good idea to try to supplement with free, natural foods that domestic chickens enjoy. Wild prairie chickens forage for grass seeds, berries and rose hips. Roses can be grown in your back yard and you can harvest the hips when they are ready (in late summer or fall, depending on the variety), or you can forage for hips where wild roses such as the Dog Rose grow. Ripe rose hips can be dried and used as an additional food source for domestic hens.

Things You'll Need

  • Work gloves
  • Canvas bag or basket
  • Oven tray
  • Dehydrator (optional)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Pick as many rose hips as you wish. Wear protective gloves because most roses are thorny, and when gathering them from the wild you may have to reach into the bush to pick the hips. Pick ripe, healthy hips that show a deep, uniform color all over, and avoid ones with blotches, mold or scarring. Ripe rose hips feel slightly soft but should not be wrinkled. Hips are commonly red, purple or orange depending on the rose variety. Place them in a basket or canvas bag, but avoid plastic because this encourages moisture.

    • 2

      Rinse rose hips under cold water at home if they are dusty and place them between a couple of paper towels for a few minutes to soak up excess moisture.

    • 3

      Cut rose hips in half if they are large, or leave them whole if your think they are small enough for your chickens to eat whole. If you are not sure, experiment by feeding the chickens two or three whole hips and watching to see if they can swallow them. For most hens this is not a problem.

    • 4

      Spread rose hips on a dry, cloth-covered tray and place them in a dark, dry place. Prevent mold by making sure the hips are not touching each other and have sufficient space between them for air flow. A shelf in a cupboard or shed is an ideal place to store them, provided the space is free from insect or rodent invasion and moisture or chemicals. Cover the hips with wire mesh if rodent pests may be present. Ensure the area has good ventilation. Rose hips will take up to three weeks to dry under normal room-temperature conditions.

    • 5

      Test rose hips for dryness by crushing one. It should be brittle and break easily. Store the sufficiently dried rose hips in air-tight containers. Cut rose hips will take less time to dry but may lose some of the vitamin C content.

    • 6

      Use a food dehydrator if you have one. Place rose hips on dehydrator trays and follow instructions as for dehydrating fruits. Drying time for rose hips will take about five to six hours, depending on how many hips you have and their quality and size.

    • 7

      Dry rose hips in the oven if preferred. Spread the hips on a baking sheet or large wire rack and set the over temperature to "warm," or the lowest setting available. Leave for eight hours or overnight until the hips are brittle and dry.