Weeds

[RebelsHope]

What weeds do geese like?

Can they be trained to like weeds such a plantain (not the banana thing), burdock, and creeping Charlie?

 

[ScoobyRoo]

I think they will eat what they want. I've heard they eat a lot of greens. Mainly my grass.

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
They like them young and tender. If plantain is the proper name for what we call rat's tail(because it puts a seed stalk straight up that looks like a seedy rat's tail) they love it and keep an eye out for the spike. burdock I don't think we had much of that so I really can't say. There are so many different plants called creeping charlie or jenny that I can't say. My geese ate a whole bunch of these creepers. A plaint locally called hen's bit or hen's bane, early spring plant, was a favorite of the goslings and it was all gone before they became adults. If at all wet they would pull up roots and all and eat them too. They would not eat wild onion or wild garlic but they would eat the flowers off them before they could set seed. Hope this helped.

 

[cw]

what about pig weed?

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
isn't that another name for rat's tail or plantain?

 

[ScoobyRoo]

This is our first year with pilgrims and ducks. I noticed that we did not have a yard full of dandilions as we had in the past. I think the geese kept them down. They will eat the heck out of my ''too big'' cucumbers. The whole thing too!!

 

[cw]

Quote:
isn't that another name for rat's tail or plantain?

i dont know , round here its called red root pig weed though its a plague

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
isn't that another name for rat's tail or plantain?

i dont know , round here its called red root pig weed though its a plague

According to wikipedia:Amaranthus retroflexus is a species of flowering plant in the Amaranthaceae family with several common names, including Red-root Amaranth, Redroot Pigweed, Red Rooted Pigweed, Common Amaranth, and common tumble weed.
If this is what you are talking about, NO they won't eat the plant because it is loaded with oxalic acid which tastes bad and would destroy internal organs.

 

[cw]

yep thats it, so they wont eat it

 

[RebelsHope]

Thanks for the information

. . .

This is what we call Creeping Charile It has little purple flowers on it when it flowers.

This is what we call plantain