joey&boo
Wise Old Thumper
Thanks. I'm not sure I like my bunnies having plants with stuff that mimics hormones but it does seem to have some good properties. Small quantities me thinks
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my foraging diary
- Thread starter willow and squiggles
- Start date
Thanks. I'm not sure I like my bunnies having plants with stuff that mimics hormones but it does seem to have some good properties. Small quantities me thinks
I didn't know about the hormonal properties. I have always fed it in quite small quantities, both flowers and leaves, as I have always thought, rightly or wrongly, that it has quite a high calorific value. Twigs advises small quantities in the spring and early summer as it can give rise to bloat (and has the same effect on sheep and horses). I don't see it much that early in the year though. Twigs says it doesn't dry well, possibly because the flower is quite fleshy isn't it.
MightyMax
Banned
Yes, it's those hormonal qualities I was referring to
It is quite fattening - supposedly, though I've never found it to be so.
joey&boo
Wise Old Thumper
Yes, it's those hormonal qualities I was referring to
It is quite fattening - supposedly, though I've never found it to be so.
I never even consider the calorific value of forage which might explain why my bunnies gain 100g each a year. You sound like you are scoffing it yourself ?:lol:
MightyMax
Banned
Makes a lovely salad, don't you know :lol:
Scrappy's Little Helper
Mama Doe
Hurrah! Finally found willowherb today! It was in a bit of an awkward spot - probably why I hadn't spotted it before - and I had to wade through stinging nettle to get to it. I got to stung to buggery Still, anything for my little angels
Still, anything for my little angels
joey&boo
Wise Old Thumper
Hurrah! Finally found willowherb today! It was in a bit of an awkward spot - probably why I hadn't spotted it before - and I had to wade through stinging nettle to get to it. I got to stung to buggery
I hope they appreciated your efforts Scrappy? Mine are a "meh" about it which is a shame because its so easy to gather. Yet it is Omi's bunnies fave.
When is it best to hack off apple branches, does anybody know? They only have teeny tiny fruit at the mo. I don't even know what kind of apples or how big they get but of course I'm just interested in the freshest leaves
The leaves will start to turn in the autumn and then drop. Once that process starts, I "help" the leaves perform their duty by picking them and feeding them. I would rather do this then than wait until they actually drop on the ground.
The trees get pruned after this has happened and when the trees are dormant, usually around early winter time. We then put the sticks in buckets of water to keep them fresh and let the rabbits have a few at a time. We don't really have any large branches to prune off.
So, to answer your question about the freshest leaves, I would say anytime between now and autumn. It is beneficial to the tree though for the leaves to remain on the tree as long as possible.
Hurrah! Finally found willowherb today! It was in a bit of an awkward spot - probably why I hadn't spotted it before - and I had to wade through stinging nettle to get to it. I got to stung to buggery
Impressive dedication :lol: I really hope they like it. Which Willowherb was it?
joey&boo
Wise Old Thumper
thanks omi . The tree & the rest of it will be gone if they reinstate the railway for which an application has been submitted - if it goes through I'll be out their with a spade, illegal foraging or not :lol:
Any ideas about this ? (sorry for being a pest)
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Any ideas about this ? (sorry for being a pest)
MightyMax
Banned
thanks omi . The tree & the rest of it will be gone if they reinstate the railway for which an application has been submitted - if it goes through I'll be out their with a spade, illegal foraging or not :lol:
Any ideas about this ? (sorry for being a pest)
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The fruits look like cherry. The leaves are not the same as our wild cherry trees, but I think there are several different types and the leaves will vary. You could check by picking one of the fruits and seeing if it has a stone.
Well cherries are my favourite fruit, but I really don't like wild cherries :lol: They are very small and quite sour.
Our chickens love them though and spend lots of their time underneath the trees when the time is right. The Blackbirds also love them.
Scrappy's Little Helper
Mama Doe
Well I don't know about being appreciated. It's more that it's expected of me :lol: Well anyway they've eaten it so I assume they approve. To be honest they haven't really turned their noses up to anything so far. Only one really was jack in the hedge which they seemed to like at first but then I noticed they were starting to leave it. So I haven't bothered collecting it anymore.
Scrappy's Little Helper
Mama Doe
Of course :lol: Rusty, Escomb, Elcomb and Arcomb (i.e. red bird, small comb, left-leaning comb and right-leaning comb). Yes, ours are very sociable as well and they "talk" to us. They will also voluntarily come and sit with us if we sit out in the garden.
MightyMax
Banned
Scrappers, you've gone from strength to strength with your foraging. Mightily impressed :thumb:
