Do you keep livestock? Having any problems? Want to talk about it, whether it be sheep, goats, chickens, pigs, bees or llamas, here is your place to discuss.
Millymollymandy wrote:Hens like goosegrass and have you ever wondered why those weeds are called CHICKweed and GOOSEgrass? Hmmmmm!
yes I did make the assumption that Chickweed would be good for them!
Ah goosegrass... a quick Google has shown that is indeed what I am feeding them so that's alright then!I can eat most of the weeds around here so I guessed anything I could eat was fine for them but wouldn't try the sticky stuff that is everywhere so I am pleased to hear that they are poultry friendly have just read the damn stuff is edible.. oh oh I already eat so much chickweed now I will have to force my poor children to try some of this Goosgrass/ cleavers too!(just some as it apparently has a laxative effect!)
"Never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.”
That goosegrass is a complete pain in the arse as it's taken over my entire wild bit of garden and just swamps everything and then sets seed and is even worse every year and I have to hoe seedlings of it out of the veg patch too. I take great delight in ripping out great armfulls of the stuff and right now I keep having to pick off the sticky burrs off the cat. Hate it! So if you can eat it/give it to the hens all the better!
I took a guitar down to the run a while ago. They seemed quite curious at first, but soon decided that pecking the ground was more interesting. Maybe they don't like acoustic blues.
Our 3 new girls arrived on Saturday. So far, they have had layer pellets in the morning, but they haven't eaten them all (I prob put too many out!) and sweetcorn, a handful of corn, lots of goosegrass I weeded that they went mental for, 3 dock leaves I hung from the coop, 2 squished plums, the leftover milk from the kids cereal, and 4 radishes that had gone woody. They didn't give a cluck about carrot peelings.
I'm not sure about milk for chickens especially since it would likely contain salt and sugar from cereals. Does anyone know if milk is bad for birds or not?
I have no scientific answer, but in ye olde days (when we had cows) we mixed up chicken mash with full cream milk, warm from the cow in winter, and I don't remember any hens having a heart attack.
Tony
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.
My book says that they love milk, especially when it is sour! And that cereal (provided it is the tasteless healthy sort I torture my kids with) is fine too. probably not coco pops though!
Just discovered mine love tomatoes. I put the last of the toms in, and they play chicken football for a bit before they get purchase. Very amusing.
I would also like to know, what are the rules on meat? I was told not to feed meat to chooks, but, what about bacon rind etc? They do happily eat the grasshoppers, worm,s and leaf bugs son and daughter catch for them, and that is meat?
have just read the damn stuff is edible.. oh oh I already eat so much chickweed now I will have to force my poor children to try some of this Goosgrass/ cleavers too!(just some as it apparently has a laxative effect!)
Hate it! 
So if you can eat it/give it to the hens all the better!
(thanks)
especially since it would likely contain salt and sugar from cereals. Does anyone know if milk is bad for birds or not?
