California buckwheats

[murgiyan]

My chicks are about 10 weeks old now. Whenever I brought them out to the backyard during the day, I always put their bowl in this area next to a large buckwheat bush. One day I saw them nibbling on the fallen flowers. I stripped a couple of dried flowers and added a little bit to their feed. They seem to love it. I have a lot so I am planning to strip it all and save it to make a mix that I intend to add to their feed everyday (only a little).

I know people give the food grade buckwheat to chickens. Does anyone here have experience with California buckwheat?

I read that native Americans used to make a tea out of the flowers. It’s good for the heart. Bees and hummingbirds do like the nectar.

 

[ronott1]

It will be good for them but I do not know how wild compares to domestic buckwheat.

I may very well be better for them

 

[centralcaligirl]

I have no experience with this but I'm also interested.

 

[murgiyan]

I have been adding about a tsp in their feed every morning with some rosemary, cantaloupe seeds, egg shells and fennel leaves (I have dried all of them). It disappears quickly and they seem to be doing fine. I will have a lot that should last for a few months. I may reach out to the UCANR poultry site for answers.

I don’t see why not.

 

[murgiyan]

They do love cantaloupe seeds. I save them and dry them every time a cut a cantaloupe. They also love cantaloupe peels. So I chop them up fine and freeze in cubes. I add one (I have a larger silicon cube thingy) of these to their feed with the buckwheat mix. They gobble up this stuff first before eating they regular feed. I only give them a cube a day (shared between three 12 week old chicks)

 

[centralcaligirl]

I grew some amaranth last year (we cook the leaves with mixed greens), but the seeds are also edible and nutritionally similar to a grain. They loved them and I just let them eat whatever they found on the ground when they were free ranging in the yard. It's native to Mexico (I think) and easy to grow from seed in California.

I like the idea of planting native plants that are also beneficial for chickens, so please do post whatever you learn about the native buckwheat. I've never grown it but now I'm thinking about trying it!