EddieSalita
Songster
Part 2 of my attempt at bringing consideration to some lesser know fodder plants.
Warrigal greens (Tetragonia tetragonioides) is a ground covering vine type plant that, for my hens at least is very appetising. They swarm this stuff like piranhas. They pick up what they can and run as if it was a huge grasshopper.
It's high in protein by dry weight, and various vitamins and minerals. Particularly vitamin C, B6, K and manganese. Low in energy.
The primary drawback to this is it has low to medium in oxalate content. So it's not necessarily a primary fodder plant. But it's excellent as a fairly frequent supplement/treat.
It's also excellent for humans. But must be cooked.
I grow it under all my citrus trees as a ground cover, where it thrives. Our summer sun is harsh, so it likes some dappled shade in summers peak. But otherwise is very easy to grow and hardy. It has a fleshy, almost succulent type leaf. A reasonably delicate plant. Easy for chooks to eat. It's very juicy so full of water also. Great treat on a hot day.
It has quite a large seed. Similar in size but not shape to a baby pea. They are also readily eaten by the chooks.
So if you live in a suitable climate, give it some consideration for not only yourself, but your chooks and as a living mulch under your trees that doubles as food and chook treats. It self seeds readily and is a bit persistent if not directly grazed. It's considered invasive in some places. But in my experience it's very easy to control and does nothing but good things for the soil.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragonia_tetragonioides
Warrigal greens (Tetragonia tetragonioides) is a ground covering vine type plant that, for my hens at least is very appetising. They swarm this stuff like piranhas. They pick up what they can and run as if it was a huge grasshopper.
It's high in protein by dry weight, and various vitamins and minerals. Particularly vitamin C, B6, K and manganese. Low in energy.
The primary drawback to this is it has low to medium in oxalate content. So it's not necessarily a primary fodder plant. But it's excellent as a fairly frequent supplement/treat.
It's also excellent for humans. But must be cooked.
I grow it under all my citrus trees as a ground cover, where it thrives. Our summer sun is harsh, so it likes some dappled shade in summers peak. But otherwise is very easy to grow and hardy. It has a fleshy, almost succulent type leaf. A reasonably delicate plant. Easy for chooks to eat. It's very juicy so full of water also. Great treat on a hot day.
It has quite a large seed. Similar in size but not shape to a baby pea. They are also readily eaten by the chooks.
So if you live in a suitable climate, give it some consideration for not only yourself, but your chooks and as a living mulch under your trees that doubles as food and chook treats. It self seeds readily and is a bit persistent if not directly grazed. It's considered invasive in some places. But in my experience it's very easy to control and does nothing but good things for the soil.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragonia_tetragonioides
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