Sweet Potato Greens?

[DianeB]

I am planting some sweet potatoes - as well as, Malabar and NZ spinach - in my garden this week. I know that SP greens are considered edible for humans and assuming that its the same for chickens. But, will they eat it? Anyone have chickens that eat the lesser known, hot weather greens?

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

I would like to know about the Sweet Potato greens, too. I feed my chicks beet greens and swiss chard...will feed carrot tops when I start harvesting these.

 

[kcsunshine]

I just received my June/July issue of Backyard Poultry and it has a good article on foods to feed that will help reduce the amount of commercial food. Green plants such as weeds, trimmed outer leaves of lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, bean, pea, and sweet potato vines, fruits and vegetables are all good for chicks, ducks, and other domesticated fowl. This guy grows mangels (or fodder beets) that make a huge (10-12 lb.) beets. He stores them in the root cellar for winter feeding.

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

From what I found on this beet, one seed company in California suggests leaving the beet in the ground and harvest as you need them during the Winter.

My question is does the beet contain too much sugar for chickens or my rabbits.

I planted Detroit Red beets last Fall and they grew all Winter and I fed my one rabbit these leaves...only time I couldn't was when we had a very hard freeze that got the leaves and root had to start over.

My new bunny loves the beet root as well as the leaves but I don't want to damage their health by feeding them something that contains too much sugar.

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

Found this to be interesting. I have Cowpeas up; have more beets and BOSS planted and have Amaranth seeds to plant. Need to look into cover crops for this Winter such as wheat, oats or clover???

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Growing-Poultry-Feeds-2.html