herbal medicine garden for chickens

[Leahs Mom]

I like to grow herbs too, I have chocolate mint, thyme, oregano, comfrey.

@Miss Lydia
Can you tell me about your comfrey?
-What particular kind do you have?
-Do you have to cut it and wilt it before your birds will eat any? Do the chickens eat it or just the ducks?
-Do you have a photo you could post of the comfrey?



I'm considering putting some in but still reading and learning about it.

 

[mobius]

Subscribing. I love my herb garden and have to replenish some this spring but I dry the herbs and hang them. Used in nesting boxes and dustbaths, all crumbled up.

And yes I want some comfrey...I have wild yarrow and mullein and dandelion and and and...

 

[Miss Lydia]

I usually cut the young leaves and hang where the flock can munch on it. I also have dried it and added it on top of their ff. I have no idea what kind a dear friend had it growing all in her field and I dug up some plants and brought them home. It gets a pretty purple flower when it blooms. When the rain stops I'll get some pics.

I had read a story I think in my dads Hobby farm mag about it being a good live stock feed. That was probably 5 yrs ago.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Thank you. Looking forward to the photos.

Do you see your chickens eating the ones you hang up?
Do you have any problems keeping it growing in a specific area or does it try to spread all over?

 

[mobius]

x2! Also high nitrogen so good for compost and many other things I think!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yes my chickens and ducks and geese eat it. They aren't as crazy about it as Green grass but we don't have much grass living on mountainous ground pretty rocky. So when they get green they eat it.

 

[annagoodspeed]

I love how so many 'weeds' are beneficial herbs! My yard has dandelions, plantain, yarrow, violets, and then the food items that are also known as beneficial, like alfalfa, comfrey, nettles, and kale. I need to move some thyme, oregano, echinacea, so much stuff into their yard. It is large but not as diverse as it could be.
There is an herb site that has a good variety of seeds and plants,
Steictly Medicinals, used to be Horizon Herbs, in Oregon.
One plant I got from them was Gynostemma pentaphyllum, aka jiao gu lan. It is a sweet tasting member of the cucumber family that so far is hardy in my unheated greenhose in zone 5, it is vining and roots readily as it covers ground. It is looked at as a ginseng type plant, known for longevity. Anyway, had some that I gave them and they went crazy for it.
I have found the 'Kapoor'type of tulsi basil to reseed readily, it is known as an immune modulator, good for general health.
A plug for two pf my favorites, allheal, aka prunella Vulgaris, that is a super easyground cover, a member of the mint family, it has antiviral properties against herpes viruses in humans, so am thinking that it might be good for chicken herpes diseases like Marek's and fowl pox. Lemon balm does too.
And also blackseed, an easy annual flower, looks like Love in a Mist, but is a different species, nigella sativa. It is huge in the Middle East, edible, has studies on poultry showing a reduction in influenza I believe.
So many directions wih this idea!

 

[annagoodspeed]

@Miss Lydia
Can you tell me about your comfrey?
-What particular kind do you have?
-Do you have to cut it and wilt it before your birds will eat any? Do the chickens eat it or just the ducks?
-Do you have a photo you could post of the comfrey?



I'm considering putting some in but still reading and learning about it.

 

[WVcreekfarm]

Glad I stumbled onto this! Just today I cut back my lemon balm to dry for tincture and tea. Also have bee balm, chamomile, oregano, lavender, echinacea, sage and basil. Garlic too! Mullein is all over our horse pasture. Putting my nasturtium in pots so I can over winter them in our garage (heated floor, my plants love it). Love having things at the ready for animals and people. Need some elderberry bushes...

 

[Leahs Mom]

I want some elderberry bushes too!

Anyone that has comfrey, please tell me how you use it and post some photos too. And what type you have.