The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: yankieGirl on May 30, 2011, 11:54:33 pm
-
any reason why I can't feed my pigs fresh grass from a lawnmower bag?
-
Yes they compact and , they heat up in the bag producing gas. Can cause colic (This is just my personal opinion others may have had better experience).
-
My pigs all enjoy the 'shower' of grass from the back of my ride on mower without the collector on!
Never thought about giving them the grass from the collector though....It heats up pretty quickly and does get very compacted.
-
No, don't feed them. Also not to be fed to chickens!!!!!
:pig:
-
i feed mine to the chooks. goats and pig
if its done straight away and they are shaken out collecting bag/box
they love it
-
I feed fresh glass mowings as I go along (I empty the box into their pens), but do not have any fancy compressing mower/collector bag.
Providing you are not using any pesticides, and using grass immediately then I see no problem.
-
Our Kunes love the grass clippings - we give them straight from the grass-box as it needs emptying, never stored or compacted. The ducks like rooting through it too.
-
we feed grass clippings to both pigs and hens and as long as it has not been sprayed with anything is alright
this must be a first agreeing with oaklands :o
-
:o :) :)
-
this must be a first agreeing with oaklands :o
Wow ;) ;D ;D ;D
-
Thank you for the replies. I have noted the cautions and will continue sharing the clippings with care.
-
With regard to feeding grass cuttings to chooks: grass mowings or even grass pulled by hand and then fed, can cause a blockage in the crop (also sometimes called Sour Crop, Impacted Crop or Crop Bound). When chickens peck at grass they take in a smaller amount and in smaller pieces. Grass is not the only reason poultry can get a crop blockage, but is one of the main causes, see:
http://www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/Chicken_a/chicken-crop/index.php (http://www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/Chicken_a/chicken-crop/index.php)
(Apol for sending off topic [from grass fed to pigs to grass fed to poultry])
-
Actually that is very interesting. We use our chooks to keep the grass down, as it saves mowing.
-
Actually that is very interesting. We use our chooks to keep the grass down, as it saves mowing.
The chooks pecking at grass themselves is fine, just not to be fed to them pulled by hand (i.e. by us) or lawnmower clippings.
Sadly, I've had experience of this (hen became crop bound because she had helped herself to grass mowings that weren't picked up by the bag on the back of the mower). Watched the vet do his 'op' and the blockage was removed, but she didn't make it.
:chook:
-
Such a shame.