Bamboo leaves as food....

[ErnieBerley]

All tropical grass have significantly more silica in their cell walls. Probably because of the large number of herbivores in the tropics.

Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) is very high in silica

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Roundup is extremely toxic. It is proven to cause non-Hogkins lymphoma (cancer) in humans and wreaks havoc on all nearby ecological systems. The active ingredient, glyphosate, has a long half-life. You don't want your chickens eating plants, bugs, or water exposed to it. Please don't use toxic pesticides or weed killers near people, animals, or honestly anywhere that they can leach into the local environment.

I won't use Roundup anywhere the chickens roam, but I will use it where they don't. Like most things, it breaks down when exposed to nature.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Very few people live long enough to see bamboo plants produce seeds

Maybe for one particular species, but I have read a number of peoples' personal reports of their bamboo flowering.

 

[ErnieBerley]

I won't use Roundup anywhere the chickens roam, but I will use it where they don't. Like most things, it breaks down when exposed to nature.

Roundup is an insidious product

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Roundup is an insidious product

I don't disagree, but life isn't perfect and is full of tradeoffs. I haven't noticed ecosystems collapsing where roundup is used.

 

[jlwquilter]

This has been such an informative thread! Love it!

Plants want to survive too so develop defense mechanisms. Plant eaters chew a lot. Silica wears down teeth. Loss of teeth means death. So some plants develop higher levels of silica so they get eaten less. What’s amazing to me is how plants and animals ‘figure’ all this out! Mother Nature is an awesome force not to be screwed with. Too bad we humans haven’t learned that lesson.

 

[rascal66]

Oh wow!!!
Bamboo really seems to have that much benefit as feed huh?
I love how bamboo looks. Admittedly, I've never had any before so I really have no knowledge of it. But goodness, even just to try, I'd love to plant a couple around the chicken area just for them to enjoy. I want to learn more about this!

 

[Chickassan]

The bamboo at least here harbours an immense amount of mites even in winter.
They don't bite people but still aren't much fun to have around.

 

[VictoriaTemple]

I haven’t noticed any mites in mine. Of course, my birds don’t bed in it or go through leaves. I have an established grove (psst...that’s code for IT’S TAKING OVER!!!!!) and I cut a few culms every few days and toss them in the pen. They love the leaves so much, and when they are done with them they hide in the stalks and hunt bugs. I can only imagine mites living in the leaf mat on the floor of the grove, has that been your experience, @Chickassan?

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

The bamboo at least here harbours an immense amount of mites even in winter.
They don't bite people but still aren't much fun to have around.

Do you know what variety it is? I have a bamboo that makes me itch (pseudosasa japonica, japanese arrow bamboo), but it's not one of the normal ones usually grown. It never gets above about 18' and has palm-like leaves.