Alfalfa poisonous for chickens

[Chris09]

Saponins are generally not a problem in tropical forage legumes. However, they are common in several temperate forage legumes. The use of alfalfa, (Medicago sativa, in supplemental protein meals for swine and poultry is limited by its saponin content. Although alfalfa contains several saponins (medicagenic acid, soyasapogenol A, soyasapogenol B, lucernic acid ), medicagenic acid appears to be the one responsible for its antinutritional effects. Saponin content in alfalfa foliage is low in spring and fall and high in midsummer. Low-saponin cultivars of alfalfa have been developed. The seeds and foliage of chickpeas (Cicer arietinum), soybeans ( ), and common beans ( ) also contain saponins. Several rangeland weeds in the US including corn cockle (Agrostemma githago, soapwort (Saponaria officinalis), cow cockle (Saponaria vaccaria), and broomweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae) cause serious toxicity problems for grazing livestock because of their saponins. Alfombrilla (Drymaria arenaroides) is a weed in northern Mexico containing @3% saponins that is responsible for cattle losses in Mexico and has potential for spread to the southwest U.S. Yucca contains sarsaponins and is occassionally grazed by cattle. However, research indicates that sarsaponins might actually be beneficial to rumen digestion. Other plants containing saponins include Christmas Rose (Helleborus niger), Horse Chestnut trees (Aesculus hippocastanum), Asparagus fern (Asparagus officinalis), and Daisies (Bellis perennis).

http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/toxicagents/saponin.html



Chris

 

[DLS]

I put it out in the winter for a nice fresh snak. they seem to lke it.

 

[momgoose]

Great 'saponin' information Chris-you are a responsible information provider (you included your source)! Yea for you! I have worked in research and done my own and I LOVE it when someone provides their source of information like they should. Good job and Muchas Gracias.
If alfalfa were highly toxic to chickens, I'd think they'd be extinct by now! Think of all the farms and ranches and fields of fresh hay, mangers full etc.!
I am relatively new to the world of chickens but also occasionally feed my still living and healthy chickens alfalfa. Because I live in a high desert and we have tons of destructive little grass eating critters, I buy alfalfa blocks (dried whole alfalfa compressed into 2" blocks) that I can keep in a metal trashcan. I stick these blocks in a tray in warm water until they're soft and come apart easily then set the tray in their yards for them to 'graze' in. My chickens can't free-range because of all the carnivorous predators here (coyotes, bobcats, mt. lions (rarely), racoons, coatimundis, hawks etc.). I also give the chickens a little of the freshly mown bermuda grass from our lawn every week when we cut it. It dries out quickly in their pens and provides soft footing if they don't eat it all. I tend to go lightly on the fresh grass tho, because they will eat it until they are stuffed and making poops bigger than their eggs!! Terri

 

[colburg]

In my run I have clover,alfalfa, timothy, brome , and orchard grass. The chickens continue to eat it and continue to live. I annual over seed it to keep the mud down.

Has anyone tried letting them graze in alfalfa or clover fields or fed them fresh plants, not just hay?

I have a grass mix of annual rye, perrinial rye, bromegrass and orchardgrass planted last spring. If I can get the orchard shredded and planted before the next rains come in, I plan on planting alfalfa in one section, white sweet clover in another and yellow clover in a third section.

The plan is to use a large chicken tractor once they're big enough and just let them free range everything starting next spring. From what I've read, there shouldn't be a problem with this.

There is also a pretty good mix of kosha, grass and foxtail that I'm just going to shred and plant right over the top.

Please let me know if I'm messing up here.
Thanks,

 

[NYREDS]

It's just a website. Shocking, but not everything on the internet is true.

WHAT?????

 

[Phoenixwmn]

Hey y'all… Okay, I've been enjoying spoiling the heck outta my wee flock, they've been getting freshly picked grass every day and they love it, in addition to their regular feed, of course.
( they get it after they've consumed most of their Layer Crumbles,Oyster Shell,Grit & Omega 3 supplement) . They also get veggie & fruit peels,tomatoes and sometimes table scraps. Once in a while I make them a couple slices whole 12-grain toast as a very special treat and they go bonkers over it. People laugh at me when they call and say "whatcha doin'?" and I say, "Making toast for my chickens". There's just no comeback for that. ~ LOL

Anyways, I'm concerned about what sort of forage they'll be able to have during our bitter winters here, seeing as how I've gotten them hooked on grass. ( yes, that was a deliberate pun My local feed store has an Alfalfa-Oat cube ( also plain Alfalfa cubes and an Alfalfa-Timothy cube blend) and I was thinking I might soak those in milk or whatever for my girls to supplement their winter feed, to substitute for the grass they love….whatcha think about that ?? I want to supplement their regular diet with it, not make it their main food, so I'm not terribly fearful of the whole saponins thing.

I truly, humbly appreciate all the wisdom and resource here, it is just amazing ! ( P.S.---like several others here, my feathered babies don't free-range, they'd immediately be lunch for the scary host of hungry predators that occupy the woods around my farm.)

I painted this for my lovely Poulet de Bresse~

 

[cafarmgirl]

Soaked alfalfa pellets or alfalfa meal might work better. Sometimes the cubes have a lot of short, coarse, stemmy stuff in them, don't know how good that would be for them. I would just soak in water, not milk, since chickens cannot digest milk.

 

[colburg]

I've fed soaked alfalfa pellets to my chickens with no detriment, but they didn't like them at all(that's just my chickens, maybe not yours.) This was straight alflafa though. They might devour the oat mixed cubes.

cafarmgirl, as far as the milk digestibility, do you have a link to an article or study about that? We have a Jersey cow and milk is regularly on our chickens diet. Cultured milk, raw milk, homemade yogurt, kefir, whey, etc. and we have yet to see it affect them.

Cheers,

 

[CrazyTalk]

This isn't right, is it? I'm sure I've read about lots of people feeding their chickens alfalfa.

http://www.poultryhelp.com/toxic1.html

Pretty much every "toxic plant list" is a waste of time. They're all based off the USDA list - which is 40 years out of date, and based on rumor and anecdote (it says so right on the list that none of it has been verified).

They mash all livestock together, so if something is toxic to cows, they think nothing should eat it.

 

[cehasz]

My chickens eat the left over hay from my goats all the time, timothy and alfalfa. They have actually seemed to be eating a lot less of the commercial feed since I've been giving them the goat left overs!