Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[BDutch]

I recently discovered a sort of green jelly/slime growing on a concrete path and foundations here, and a bit of digging has revealed this to be a plus, I think. I'm going to keep an eye out to see if the chickens eat it, in wet or desiccated (brown crust) form. Maybe you have some too and can contribute to the topic.

Never seen it before. Looks like and not appetising at all.
Are you sure it isn’t solely Welch/British?.

Maybe it doesn’t grow here because there is way too much nitrogen (NOx) deposits in our country for this strange looking species.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Presumably the larval stage of various apple 'pests'. That apple tree looks really good btw; what variety is it?

The last photo might invite some good entries for the caption compo

I've got my caption ready to go!

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I recently discovered a sort of green jelly/slime growing on a concrete path and foundations here, and a bit of digging has revealed this to be a plus, I think. I'm going to keep an eye out to see if the chickens eat it, in wet or desiccated (brown crust) form. Maybe you have some too and can contribute to the topic.

Its proper name is Nostoc commune, and it's a cyanobacterium with a penchant for alkaline surfaces (which concrete provides) and phosphorus (which chicken poo provides). And before that puts you off, note that it
(a) is edible, by us so presumably by chickens;
(b) fixes nitrogen from the atmosphere;
(c) has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-bacterial properties, at least (and has long been a traditional medicine in some cultures);
(d) consists of about 25% dry weight proteins, peptides, and free amino acids, including all the essential ones that we have to eat because we can't synthesize via our own metabolism;
(e) may contain a variety of minerals such as calcium, iron and zinc, plus useful amounts of vitamin C.

It is also incredibly resilient (so difficult to eliminate, should you want to ignore its potential as a valuable food for you or your chickens). Aka Star Jelly, you can read more about it here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nostoc

nom nom nom

That's almost as unlovely as dog-vomit slime mold!

 

[rural mouse]

Never seen it before. Looks like and not appetising at all.
Are you sure it isn’t solely Welch/British?.

Maybe it doesn’t grow here because there is way too much nitrogen (NOx) deposits in our country for this strange looking species.

I have seen it in my yard under my spruce trees....never knew what it was until the link. Considering I'm in a high alpine desert (or borderline), I was surprised it matches up so well. Reading the link on it, it likes acid soil, but otherwise grows in all climates.

 

[Perris]

Are you sure it isn’t solely Welch/British?

Yes, I'm sure. It's essentially global. From the Wikipedia page: "Nostoc commune is found in many countries around the world. It is able to survive in extreme conditions in polar regions and arid areas. It is a terrestrial or freshwater species and forms loose clumps on soil, gravel and paved surfaces, among mosses and between cobbles.[1] In Singapore, Nostoc commune is found growing on alkaline soils, in brackish water, in paddy fields, on cliffs and on wet rocks.[2]"

 

[fuzzi]

I recently discovered a sort of green jelly/slime growing on a concrete path and foundations here, and a bit of digging has revealed this to be a plus, I think. I'm going to keep an eye out to see if the chickens eat it, in wet or desiccated (brown crust) form. Maybe you have some too and can contribute to the topic.

Its proper name is Nostoc commune, and it's a cyanobacterium with a penchant for alkaline surfaces (which concrete provides) and phosphorus (which chicken poo provides). And before that puts you off, note that it
(a) is edible, by us so presumably by chickens;
(b) fixes nitrogen from the atmosphere;
(c) has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-bacterial properties, at least (and has long been a traditional medicine in some cultures);
(d) consists of about 25% dry weight proteins, peptides, and free amino acids, including all the essential ones that we have to eat because we can't synthesize via our own metabolism;
(e) may contain a variety of minerals such as calcium, iron and zinc, plus useful amounts of vitamin C.

It is also incredibly resilient (so difficult to eliminate, should you want to ignore its potential as a valuable food for you or your chickens). Aka Star Jelly, you can read more about it here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nostoc

Cyanobacterium in an aquarium is bad, none of the fish or invertebrates will eat it.

 

[Perris]

Cyanobacterium in an aquarium is bad, none of the fish or invertebrates will eat it.

luckily then we and chickens are terrestrial not aquatic

 

[fluffycrow]

I am always kinda hesitant because I never know if my knowledge is interesting enough.

Hmm, then you haven’t read through the article contests much .

Don’t get me wrong, there are some great entries on there. Perris and Shad have both entered great articles. But that’s not the average article on there

 

[Shadrach]

what variety is it?

I don't know. I think it may be a variety of crab-apple.

 

[Shadrach]

nom nom nom

That's almost as unlovely as dog-vomit slime mold!
View attachment 4210950

Ah, that will be fine. It just needs a quick fry in olive oil and lots of garlic. Present it as a new dish of secret ingredients and you'll probably make the chef of the year awards.
I mean, after all, people eat McDonald's.