Does anyone here have elderberries? And what do you do with them?

[McChooky]

Are we talking about the same plant? https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/sambucus
What else is there for the chickens to eat where you are? Mine don't eat either leaves or shoots of elderberry.

Yes (black berries when they're mature ) My chickens have a 100 x 100 fenced lot . 70% is under a canopy of trees .

 

[Perris]

OK. Well they grow fast, so hopefully they'll put on enough this season to not need protecting next.

 

[McChooky]

OK. Well they grow fast, so hopefully they'll put on enough this season to not need protecting next.

Thank you !

 

[Perris]

It's quite entertaining to watch the chickens jumping to try to harvest the berries when they're ripe. Smaller garden birds can sit on the tips of the branches and do strip them quite quickly, so seeing the chickens jumping is my cue to get out there and pick and drop the clusters for them before the sparrows et.al. scoff the lot!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Don't remember if I've answered this before, but I have made jelly or jam from them. It's quite good! My plants are quite tall and the berries grow at the tips so the chickens don't bother them. This year I may give the fruit away to someone younger and with more energy. They can do the work and gift me back a jar of jelly.