The birds love the Comfrey!

[Ra_]

I have the bocking 14 variety. It’s not my chickens’ first choice of green in my yard (they have a lot of choices!)

The Bocking 14 variety is said to be better for composting, whereas the Bocking 4 is said to be more palatable to animals. I chose #4 since I'm more concerned about my birds than about compost and I think compost is likely to be less picky than are chickens.

As you can see in the video, my birds love the stuff and they had just been served breakfast about 90 minutes earlier.
You might try wilting the leaves for a day. It is said that the hairs on the underside of the leaves can bother some animals. I don't have an issue with that. I don't know if it's because it's Bocking 4 or it's just because my birds love it so much?

 

[Ra_]

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

Really tough conditions here. Few things will thrive in this native yellow sand. My area was a boomtown for phosphate mining in the 1890s. My well water has a pH of 8.1. I have to adjust the pH for many things I try to grow but the comfrey doesn't mind the Alkaline water. The phosphate deposits seem to run in patches. Some areas are so barren that nothing at all will grow there. Unusual to see white patches of bare ground in Florida. Some areas can support nothing but odd lichens. Deer Moss served as a subsistence food for the Indians in times of famine.

 

[Missbc]

I definitely planted mine for compost (really more for putting the leaves directly on my planting beds mid-summer for moisture retention) but I’ll try wilting it for a day in the spring when it starts growing again.

 

[Missbc]

I may have missed this earlier, but where did you source your bocking 4?

 

[Ra_]

I may have missed this earlier, but where did you source your bocking 4?

No, I never mentioned it.
I got it from Yumheart Gardens.
They offer five options, ranging from one to 50 root cuttings.
https://amzn.to/2VQUn9l

I think that I also failed to mention that I used these leaves to make a salve.
You boil the dried leaves.
Strain and reduce the volume of the liquid.
You then mix in some coconut oil, olive oil, honey & beeswax.
It is great for any kind of bug bites, wounds or rashes.

 

[Anaray]

I have not fed it to then chickens, but I can testify that bees love it. Mine blooms from early spring to late summer. Of course, if you let it go to seed, it will spread throughout your garden, but I don't mind. I have also heard of the bone healing properties.

 

[Countrydreamin]

Those silly Australians

I wonder if my local Aussie store Bunnings sells it

 

[Folly's place]

Does it spread from seeds like, for example, tansy? I've got oregano growing everywhere here, and am only glad that the tansy doesn't taste good to my horses. The previous homeowners had a large planting of it, and I've been fighting it off ever since!
Mint and oregano, fine, but not that tansy!
Mary

 

[Missbc]

None of the bocking varieties have fertile seed, so it won’t spread from seed. It’ll get somewhat larger each year in its spot, but you can divide it just like a day lily- it divides at the root.

 

[h2oratt]

Interesting thread. I have been working with comfrey myself. I am drin’ing an infusion of comfrey leaf once a week.