feeding cherries to chickens to promote germination

[galanie]

Only at BYC do people admit to doing this and get taken seriously. I admit I chuckled. But he does have a point, many seeds go through this process and sprout readily. And I'm sure it wouldn't take very long to try the chicken thing. I'm just not sure if the chickens will eat them. Mine sort of test seeds that size by crunching around on them with their beaks a bit before deciding if it's food or not.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
I am that guy and expect to be taken seriously.

Offering my rooster intact cherries so far has not resulted in injestion. Maybe turkeys would work better.

 

[Speceider]

Several years ago Stan Templeton ha d apaper on Dodo's being the source for germiantion of some tree species in the Mauritians based upon the extinction of dodos, and the age of the known trees. He fed the seeds to turkeys, and had germination, although at a low rate. He showed the calculated dod, and turkey gizzard pressures. Since, some younger trees have been found, it's since been suggested another bird is also involved.

I'm not certain what type of cherries you are talking about. Wild cherries are primarily bird dispersed, but many commercial varieties may not be.

Clint

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've seen several posts by Centrarchid and find him to have some very interesting questions and good insights. I take him very seriously. He is willing to try things to see if they work instead of blindly accepting things.

Within the last week, I've exchanged a few posts with others ( not Centrarchid) about feeding chickens other chickens poop as a probiotic. I scrape some sand/dirt from the run and feed that to the chicks already. Why not make sure some fresh poop is mixed in with it? It's not something I'd recommend with different flocks because that would be a good way to spread disease and parasites, but maybe something I'd consider with chicks in a brooder to introduce the bugs they are going to meet when they mix with the flock later. Poop is a pretty common subject on BYC, though not usually in the context of this thread.

 

[galanie]

I am very sorry if my post sounded as though I thought he should not be taken seriously. I simply thought it was great that he is being taken seriously. You see, as a gamer, I frequent boards where people are jumped on mercilessly for perfectly sensible and well thought out things. This topic is perfectly sensible and well thought out. I did not mean to imply otherwise.

Oh, as for the poop helping resistances of babies, that's an idea I had as well. This last hatch, I allowed the babies to contact the older one's waste in a limited manner after they were a week or so old. They certainly didn't die of it but I really don't know if it helped them. All I can tell you is that they remained healthy and are now 14 weeks old and still healthy and running with the rest of the flock.

 

[emys]

Have you considered rooting cuttings? You will then have the same variety for certain, and can take as many cuttings as the tree will easily handle. Perhaps it is a little late in the year for you to attempt it this this year, but next year early in the spring...

In the meantime what about giving the chickens just a few pits with a bits of cherry stuck to them? They like eating round stones, maybe they would eat some that way?

 

[Chris09]

Quote:

Have you considered rooting cuttings? You will then have the same variety for certain

That would only work IF the tree has not been grafted.
If the tree has been grafted then you are reproducing the Rootstock and not the Scion which the Scion is the part of the tree you are wanting to reproduce because it is the grafted fruit baring part of the tree.


Chris​

 

[galanie]

Quote:

Have you considered rooting cuttings? You will then have the same variety for certain

That would only work IF the tree has not been grafted.
If the tree has been grafted then you are reproducing the Rootstock and not the Scion which the Scion is the part of the tree you are wanting to reproduce because it is the grafted fruit baring part of the tree.


Chris​

I am curious as to how you'd be reproducing rootstock by rooting a branch. The only scenario in which this makes sense to me is if the rootstock has been allowed to grow it's own branches in addition to the ones of the scion. Edit: The reason I'm asking is that I myself have been considering rooting stock from a grafted tree, but not from the rootstock; from limbs of the scion.

Nevertheless, his post indicates that the tree these are from has itself been grown from a seed so I don't think this is something the OP would have to worry about unless it was later grafted.

 

[Chris09]

Quote:

Have you considered rooting cuttings? You will then have the same variety for certain

That would only work IF the tree has not been grafted.
If the tree has been grafted then you are reproducing the Rootstock and not the Scion which the Scion is the part of the tree you are wanting to reproduce because it is the grafted fruit baring part of the tree.


Chris​

I am curious as to how you'd be reproducing rootstock by rooting a branch. The only scenario in which this makes sense to me is if the rootstock has been allowed to grow it's own branches in addition to the ones of the scion. Edit: The reason I'm asking is that I myself have been considering rooting stock from a grafted tree, but not from the rootstock; from limbs of the scion.

Nevertheless, his post indicates that the tree these are from has itself been grown from a seed so I don't think this is something the OP would have to worry about unless it was later grafted.

My fault I see that galanie posted

rooting cuttings

and not root cutting.

Chris​

 

[galanie]

Oh whew. Ok, thank you

Perfectly understandable. People do take root cuttings but I took the post to mean rooting a branch.