Spinach is a no-no.....what about the stems?

[Bird Worrier]

I understand that spinach should be fed only sparingly to our backyard birds. Does anyone know if the stems are ok?

 

[cherrynberry]

Spinach is totally edible to chickens, but is a treat, so is the stem. Treats should not be more than 10% of a chickens diet. It comes down to a few teaspoons per chicken, which is not a lot at all.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I understand that spinach should be fed only sparingly to our backyard birds.

Where did you hear this? I'd like to understand it in context. Why do they say that? Do you have a link?

It's hard to address the actual concern if I don't know what the concern is.

 

[GravityWaves]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/spinach-and-oxalic-acid.1327080/

There are a couple articles and good info in the link above.

 

[Ridgerunner]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/spinach-and-oxalic-acid.1327080/

There are a couple articles and good info in the link above.

Thank you, that's probably related to what the OP read. Thanks for the context. It's like most of the things you read about on here where something is harmful. There is a tiny grain of truth to it if you take it out of context but if you understand the context it isn't a big deal. Practically everything our chickens or even we ourselves eat contains something that can be harmful if consumed in massive amounts but for most of them our chickens crops aren't big enough to hold enough to actually be harmful.

I understand that spinach should be fed only sparingly to our backyard birds. Does anyone know if the stems are ok?

Thanks for posting this. If you ever have a question, ask. It would be a shame if your chickens were harmed because you failed to ask. There are some things we will warn you against, but spinach or spinach stems in moderation are not among those.

 

[Bird Worrier]

Spinach is totally edible to chickens, but is a treat, so is the stem. Treats should not be more than 10% of a chickens diet. It comes down to a few teaspoons per chicken, which is not a lot at all.

thank you!

 

[Bird Worrier]

Thank you, that's probably related to what the OP read. Thanks for the context. It's like most of the things you read about on here where something is harmful. There is a tiny grain of truth to it if you take it out of context but if you understand the context it isn't a big deal. Practically everything our chickens or even we ourselves eat contains something that can be harmful if consumed in massive amounts but for most of them our chickens crops aren't big enough to hold enough to actually be harmful.


Thanks for posting this. If you ever have a question, ask. It would be a shame if your chickens were harmed because you failed to ask. There are some things we will warn you against, but spinach or spinach stems in moderation are not among those.

Thank you!

 

[rosemarythyme]

And for the record, mine prefer the stems over the leaves. I eat the leaves, the ends of the stems all get tossed into the chicken run.

 

[-Flash-]

And for the record, mine prefer the stems over the leaves. I eat the leaves, the ends of the stems all get tossed into the chicken run.

x2

 

[K0k0shka]

Even water can be toxic in high enough amounts. It's all in the dose and the context. Spinach, in the amounts that a chicken would be willing to eat, is fine.