turkeys and acorns

[chickenannie]

By the way, I was concerned about my chooks eating horse chestnuts that fell from my trees and got cracked open and bits of the nuts would lie all over the ground. I know they are harmful (deadly) to humans, though not squirrels. And I worried the birds would be affected. But somehow, they either never at them, or if they did, the nuts weren't harmful to them. (Horse chestnuts are completely different from regular chestnuts).

 

[AHappychick]

we had so many acorns this year and none of my turkeys or chooks seemed to care. That would be a great cheap food source for me, is there a recipe or something? can I just grind them up like someone posted? or do they need to be boiled?

 

[GBov]

Quote:
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/clay79.html

I like the idea of feeding them to stock because you wouldnt have to shell them first, just shove em through the grinder as is. If the kids and I can find some acorns this year we are going to try the bread, it sounds lovely!

 

[AHappychick]

Quote:
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/clay79.html

I like the idea of feeding them to stock because you wouldnt have to shell them first, just shove em through the grinder as is. If the kids and I can find some acorns this year we are going to try the bread, it sounds lovely!

thank you so much I wish I had known this before as many of the acorns have been smushed into the ground or eaten already but ds an I will be collecting as many as we can find today and I am going to make them into a mash for the quail and for my meaties this spring

I am very excited to have an additional food supply that wont cost me anything as feed is so expensive where I am. I need to go look for a nutritional chart to see what vitamins etc are in them. That site was great thanks for posting it!

 

[AHappychick]

I found this chart on their nutritional value.

One is for them raw: http://www.elook.org/nutrition/nuts/3216.html

and here is the one dried which is how I will be feeding it to them as they can mold easily if in a wet mash and I have no idea how much tannin is in them so I am just gonna soak them a lot, then taste them and then dry them in the de-humidifier once they seem to taste ok.

http://www.elook.org/nutrition/nuts/3217.html

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Great information!
It's funny to me how on a dietary scale, there is no mention of them even being toxic!!You'd think that would be the headline if it were really that big of a deal?