The birds love the Comfrey!

[Folly's place]

Testimonials are interesting, actual science is better!
Mary

 

[Ra_]

I don't expect a lot of endorsements from the medical/pharmaceutical alliance regarding the benefits of the plants from which they often derive their patented medications.

 

[Ra_]

Poultry Experiments

Mr. Suzuki of Yokosuka fed equal parts of the chopped foliage plus his normal meal to 2,000 mature birds and 1,000 pullets from April 1963 until November 1963, when the crop goes dormant.
His other 3,000 birds were given no comfrey in this trial supervised by Mr. Hosaka, veterinarian to the Yokosuka Agricultural Cooperative. The results were first a rise in egg production to 70-75% (100% = one egg a day for every bird) which fell, when the comfrey stopped in November, to 60-65%, the same as the ordinary meal fed birds; and secondly improved egg quality and better growth of the younger birds, with pullets maturing to egg production in 15-20 days sooner than where no comfrey was fed. /68

Paul N. Griesenaur of the United States found that
geese could be reared on an almost all comfrey diet.
The geese fed (corn meal mush) averaged ten pounds, two ounces against twelve pounds, three ounces for those fed comfrey mush /71

A Greek who runs one of the finest eating houses here in the city, a man who is a connoisseur in fowl and who bought four of the geese, stated that he had never tasted the like before, that the flesh could be cut with the fork alone. I, too, found
this to be true. /72

 

[NewBoots]

Poultry Experiments

Mr. Suzuki of Yokosuka fed equal parts of the chopped foliage plus his normal meal to 2,000 mature birds and 1,000 pullets from April 1963 until November 1963, when the crop goes dormant.
His other 3,000 birds were given no comfrey in this trial supervised by Mr. Hosaka, veterinarian to the Yokosuka Agricultural Cooperative. The results were first a rise in egg production to 70-75% (100% = one egg a day for every bird) which fell, when the /72

We've (SO and I) discussed planting a small fenced area of mixed herbs and comfrey, letting it grow up a bit then letting the flock have a chicken party in it then letting it regrow back as repeat. Would the comfrey roots survive do you think? I know you can't kill mint with a hammer and blowtorch.

 

[Ra_]

NewBoots, I didn't plant any Comfrey until July and I just harvested the same plants for the fourth time today. The plants even survived a freeze. Here are my chickens with it today. They ate it down to the dirt.

 

[be4morgan]

I feel like I need to add this plant to my garden after reading your testimony. I hope that my chicken will love them as well.

 

[Missbc]

I have the bocking 14 variety. The roots of comfrey are crazy deep- I don’t think you could ever actually get rid of it. It’s not my chickens’ first choice of green in my yard (they have a lot of choices!)

 

[RWBP]

Testimonials are interesting, actual science is better!
Mary

Actual science is better. However finding "actual science" is difficult.

Everything negative about comfrey is based around it containing Pyrrolizidine alkaloids, or a study in NZ where someone ate 2lbs of it everyday for about 2 months.

Honey contains Pyrrolizidine alkaloids, as does milk, grains, and eggs (not from chickens fed comfrey).

Eat a kilo of carrots everyday for 2 months and tell us what your liver enzymes are after.

Follow the $...

 

[Folly's place]

Like so many things, a little bit is fine, and a lot isn't so good. I wouldn't grow it for my birds though, I'd rather spend effort on other crops.
Mary

 

[RWBP]

I wouldn't say you have to grow it, more you have to plant it. Comfrey grows itself.