Please don't give your geese spinach!!!

[TennesseeTruly]

I've been reading a lot of posts on both here and the duck boards where people are feeding their geese/ducks spinach. Please stop! A better green for them to eat is kale!

Spinach has something in it called oxalic acid. It depletes the calcium in bones of all birds. Feeding it in moderation is okay but unfortunately moderation to a goose or duck really doesn't apply because they like to gobble down greens.

Kale is a much better substitute to feed. I feed all my birds...parrots, ducks, geese, chickens, and guineas...kale on an almost daily basis.

I grow white clover in 6 pack soda flats (think the cardboard under a case of soda) for my ducks and geese. They absolutely love it. I always make sure that I have some growing and put a flat of it into each pen daily. You can do the same with kale as well.

Its really easy to provide fresh greens to your waterfowl if you think about it!

So please, lay off the spinach and think kale! BTW. Walmart sells 3lb bags of cut up kale for $3.86. No muss, no fuss, its already cut up for you.

Laurie

 

[bock]

Thanks for the advice. I was always afraid to feed my ducks and geese spinach.

 

[TennesseeTruly]

I've raised parrots (and bred them) for about 30 years. Although spinach has all kinds of great nutrients in it, its the oxalates in it that robs the calcium out of bones of birds. For humans, its a great source of vitamins K, A, and magnesium! For birds, its just not worth feeding it to them when there are better greens out there.

Laurie

 

[ChickenSal]

Wow! I had no idea. Thankfully I haven't had a chance to buy spinach for them yet.
Thanks!

 

[redhen]

Thanks for the info! I'll save the spinach for me..

And i always grow lots of kale plants every year for my critters.. (chickens/ducks/geese/pigs)
Its amazing how much kale you can get from ONE plant... it just keeps growing and growing...
the trick is to keep removing the bigger outer leaves ..it keeps the plant producing...

 

[SkyWarrior]

Thanks for the info!

 

[ArizonaNessa]

Once again I have learned something new right here on byc. This forum has not let me down even one day since I joined. I learn something new every single day. Sometimes it's about birds and sometimes it's about something completely random. I just love this place!

 

[calmlake]

Kale is not only good for ducks and geese it is cheap when purchased from a local vegetable wholesaler. People with large flocks like mine can easily use a bushel of kale in a few days but it has to be kept cool to avoid spoiling. Btw a bushel of kale is about 11 dollars, whole seeded watermelons (20 pounders) in summer go for 3 dollars at a produce wholesaler. Visit one, you will be amazed at what you can find. Bill http://mthollyducksanctuary.com

 

[TennesseeTruly]

Hiya Bill, buddy! I'm glad you agree with me. I don't even know where there's a food wholesaler around me. I'll have to ask around.

I planted kale so I'm hoping to have a ton of it right through December.

Laurie

 

[BeaglesAPlenty]

Hi,

Thanks for posting this info, but the events of yesterday cause me concern...

I fed my three week old ducklings (9 pekin, 1 blue swede) some kale yesterday for the first time. We had been feeding them all kinds of greens for the last couple of weeks. We even had them outside for a majority of the day on saturday to graze for themselves. We have had not problems until last night.

The only thing we did different yesterday was the kale. I woke last night at 3:30am to a duckling screaming. I found her frantically trying to flip herself off of her back, but she could not control her legs. She was terrified.

I was shortly able to get her upright in my arms and lap. Despite keeping her relatively still she continued panicking, screaming and even quaking somewhat. I was able to get her some water via a dropper. At this point she could not control her neck when I offered her a bowl. She wanted to drink but could not control her movement to drink it.

Another symptom was that while I had her in my lap for the next hour with a towel, I think she had diarrhea. How can you tell the difference between the regular duck pooh? It stunk to high heaven, that's how. Healthy pooh smells like a wet version of their food.

I set her in a sitting position surrounded by higher towels to keep her upright. I provided her food and electrolyte water. She finally calmed down. When I checked her again at 6:30 am she was standing up like normal. Because ducks are very social animals I put her back in with the others to ease her stress. It is 12:40 pm now and she is slightly weaker than the others, but doing okay. She is eating and drinking; and well, poohing.

I can not help but feel I almost lost her last night. Could it have been the kale?

Any thoughts from anyone?