The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: loosey on August 10, 2010, 08:31:48 pm

Title: Eating Dock plants?
Post by: loosey on August 10, 2010, 08:31:48 pm
 :pig: :wave:

I'm still loving piggy life! If anyone has any advise for uploading pictures here I'll put some up of my little crew!

Just a question ... is it ok for pigs to eat dock plants? I wants digging them up in the horses field the other day and Daisy was out free ranging (she comes with me to poo pick!) and she devoured a whole plant in about 15 seconds! She went mad for it! I put her back in the paddock just in case whilst I checked with you guys but she grabbed a huge plant and ran back with it only for all other 8 pigs to fight over it!

Bit worried as they're very bad for the horses!  ??? :o
Title: Re: Eating Dock plants?
Post by: shetlandpaul on August 10, 2010, 09:27:27 pm
they had better be safe were using our to clear a 1/2 acre of them. it was our veg plot.
Title: Re: Eating Dock plants?
Post by: JulieS on August 11, 2010, 05:56:25 am
Mine love them, and no side effects that I've noticed  :)
Title: Re: Eating Dock plants?
Post by: Hilarysmum on August 11, 2010, 08:17:11 am
Mine dont bother with them much which is frustrating.  I have a feeling they are ok for humans too. 
Title: Re: Eating Dock plants?
Post by: loosey on August 11, 2010, 05:37:01 pm
Thank god! It's scary how quickly Daisy has become a member of the family!

Apparantly she knocked my OH last night on the leg when he wouldn't rub her ears  >:(. We're due some couples training I think!
Title: Re: Eating Dock plants?
Post by: Hilarysmum on August 12, 2010, 07:53:36 am
Dont worry it gets worse, the longer you have them the more there is of them to adore.
Title: Re: Eating Dock plants?
Post by: JulieS on August 12, 2010, 08:05:57 am
Very true Hilarysmum  :love: :pig: :love:
Title: Re: Eating Dock plants?
Post by: humphreymctush on August 12, 2010, 08:36:55 am
Pigs are a good way of clearing a patch of docks because they eat the roots as well. I had a pig once who found a piece of carpet burried in the ground and took it into her ark and layed it out on the floor to sleep on
Title: Re: Eating Dock plants?
Post by: Hilarysmum on August 12, 2010, 12:48:10 pm
Thats so cute a house proud pig.   :D
Title: Re: Eating Dock plants?
Post by: Sudanpan on August 16, 2010, 05:30:39 pm
Unfortunately our GOS boys weren't interested in the docks in their paddock  :( so now I'm going to have to dig them out myself now the boys have gone. I think because the boys had so much room in their paddock they could be picky about what to eat, so went for the tasty things instead  ;D
Title: Re: Eating Dock plants?
Post by: waterboy on August 17, 2010, 12:39:52 pm
yea all ours eat the docks and we've not had a problem.
I have to agree tho they are so addictive and its far to easy to get carried away luckily the OH keeps me in check lol