Maca powder

[roseyred]

Does anyone feed there chickens maca powder? I know it's got lots of protien and it's wonderful for humans. I can't find anything about it online.....is it safe to give as a suppliment for my ladies?

 

[chooks4life]

I'm wondering for chickens thoo...

As a general rule, if the animal species is able to eat many of the same foods as us, they will also exhibit the same toxicity responses to the same chemical compounds that we do.

I doubt anyone's fed maca to chickens as a regular thing, being as it's expensive, but the same overdose or raw-maca responses you see above will tell you the likely results to look out for with chooks.

Since they're smaller than us by a long shot, you could potentially cause such severe arrhythmia that they suffer cardiac arrests if you overdose them, and only experimentation will tell you how much is too much.

That second link I gave you contains links to scientific studies which will include tests done on rodents and the likes to determine toxicity, since that is normally how any plant is tested for toxicity. There is very low toxicity recorded for this plant, meaning it's likely to be safe, but pretty much all tests conducted have been done with cooked maca, not raw.

Long story short, it isn't too likely to be a good idea to make a large staple in their diet, but in moderation it will probably be okay.

 

[pdirt]

Maca is a VERY strong herb. It's become quite popular amongst humans, especially Americans, for it's sexual enhancement properties. Herbs can be wonderful...they can heal and improve conditions, but they can also harm. If I were you, I'd use maca with caution for your chickens.

Maca's history is traced by to the Peruvian Indians. It was traditionally given to the male warriors before they went to battle. It increased alertness, stamina and yes, erection. It made their bodies go "full tilt ahead"...it's basically an herbal steroid, IMO. The warriors were required to stop using maca for several days when they returned from war before they "got with the ladies" because otherwise, they were in a rather " 'roid rage" mode and would often end up inadvertently hurting the women during sex.

That being said, I'm sure there are benefits to lower doses of maca, for both humans and perhaps chickens, but I have no idea what it would be. There are various maca dosage suggestions for humans all over the internet, but I'm not aware of any for chickens. I would just encourage you to learn more about maca and appropriate dosage before giving it to your chickens.

 

[Sally PB]

b/c I have a canister which I think contains maca but the label fell off. It's been in the cupboard a long time. I think I'll try giving a little and see how it goes

I would throw it out. If you don't know what it is for sure, don't give it to your chickens.

 

[aart]

I think contains maca but the label fell off. It's been in the cupboard a long time.

Sounds dicey @mary14889 on 2 counts.

I would throw it out. If you don't know what it is for sure, don't give it to your chickens.

Ditto Dat!!

 

[chooks4life]

If it's cooked maca, probably fine, but raw apparently is a problem, as is eating copious quantities (which is a problem basically no matter what you're talking about, lol). Also it's very individual, some are able to take more than others. People with thyroid issues should probably be careful though.

Some symptoms which a few people report after eating it raw or just eating too much:
Quote:
But cooked maca seems quite good. This next link has a lot of info in it, down the page there are many links to studies on it, and its active constituents.
Quote:
Best wishes.

 

[roseyred]

If it's cooked maca, probably fine, but raw apparently is a problem, as is eating copious quantities (which is a problem basically no matter what you're talking about, lol). Also it's very individual, some are able to take more than others. People with thyroid issues should probably be careful though.

Some symptoms which a few people report after eating it raw or just eating too much:

But cooked maca seems quite good. This next link has a lot of info in it, down the page there are many links to studies on it, and its active constituents.

Best wishes.

I'm wondering for chickens thoo...

 

[mary14889]

This is an old thread, but this issue came up for me b/c I have a canister which I think contains maca but the label fell off. It's been in the cupboard a long time. I think I'll try giving a little and see how it goes. Here's a research article on the subject https://bit.ly/3AYcYUL