Kale?

[noahsgeese]

Is Kale okay for geese to eat?

Thanks!

noahsgeese

 

[FlashPointFarm]

I don't see why not. It should be very good for them.

 

[matthewschickens]

Noah,

Yes, Kale is good for all poultry to the best of my knowledge

It's a chicken favorite and it is really just a type of lettuce.. Geese love lettuce

I know many people (including me) on here keep chickens and geese together so most all things that chickens can eat so can geese.. Except meat.

It's fine

Matthew

 

[JROOSTER]

I feed kale all the time to my geese. They will eat all the other lettuce 1st then eat the kale last. I dont think they like it too much. I also feed mustard greens to them and they love them.

 

[Kim65]

My geese like kale but I have to chop it up a little bit, they were intimidated by the ruffly stuff.

They like chard, too, but again, they are spoiled and lazy and needed it chopped.

 

[TennesseeTruly]

I buy 3 lb bags of kale from Walmart and feed it to my geese all the time. They love it!! When they see us with the bags, they all start honking in delight!

Kale is really good for them too!

Laurie

 

[justanotheramy]

Kale is not a kind of lettuce, it's a kind of cabbage.
One critical difference between the two is that kale contains measurable quantities of oxalates, whereas lettuce doesn't. Kale is not as bad as some grasses, but it's still quite high in oxalates and maybe worth avoiding as a regular or large-quantity thing.

"Oxalates are salts of oxalic acid that bind to calcium in the gut and reduce the absorption and therefore the availability of calcium to the animal. They may also form extremely painful stones in the urinary tract when the animal tries to excrete them. Pigs, poultry and rabbits are particularly susceptible, and a diet containing 20g/kg oxalate can be lethal to chickens.
Soaking the feed in water and then straining off the water will reduce the oxalate content of the feed and help to reduce its toxicity."

 

[noahsgeese]

Quote:
Well, would it be okay as a treat?

 

[chickenlady08]

Noah, I give my chickens and geese kale everyday. They love it and since the geese live with my chickens they get it. I think it is very good for them. They gobble it down pretty fast. I usually put it in one of those black rubber pans and add some vitamins sprinkled on it and then add water. They love love it. And they get upset if I don't have it in the morning when I come out and 5:30 or 6 to turn them out.

 

[justanotheramy]

Quote:
I'm not saying don't give it to them, I'm just saying be aware that it does contain oxalates, and maybe err on the side of caution and don't give large quantities of the stuff to birds that really need their calcium (like anyone who's growing or laying).
Obviously the oxalate levels of kale are not high enough to cause acute poisoning in poultry (as evidenced by the number of people here who use it as feed with no noticeable problems), but oxalates do 1) bind with calcium, which 2) prevents the body from absorbing dietary calcium, and so 3) effectively lowers the calcium levels in the birds' diet. If that's not compensated for it can cause long term problems.

There's a lot of other stuff in kale, too, that is good for poultry -- just be mindful that it reduces the bioavailability of calcium.