Chicory & other veg to feed..........?

[Monkeynutz]

Hi,

I know we have a brilliant list on here, quite a comprehensive one too, but I feel a little anxious trying new veg and then how often to give it. Call this ignorance if you want, but sometimes I just prefer someone to say that (in this instance, with piggies), that I can feed them this, that and that every day or every other, and then I would be happy to carry on with that, alternating the different veg as and when. :{

So, yesterday I bought a little pack of Chicory, with a view to trying something very new for them.

I feel over this past week, that when I give them their individual bowls of veg, Dotty more than Maisy has sort of looked at it, walked away, come back, sniffed it, picked a bit of romaine lettuce, nibbled, dropped it, tried something else and then ate as normal. They both mingle and pinch from each other, well that's fine, I leave it up to them, but always keep a check in case one is having more of a particular veg more than the other.

Their daily diet goes like this:- (All comments/advice appreciated)

They are fed twice daily, morning usually 7.30 (cos of me having to get out for work and school run) and then evening is anytime from 7-8pm. Orchard grass and timothy hay is fed freely when they want it and is always available.

AM & PM - 2 large romaine leaves each, torn into wide strips.
AM & PM - 1 slice each of cucumber
AM & PM - A clutched handful of kale each
AM (twice weekly) - 1-2 small bolt carrot each
AM or PM (alternated) every day though, 1 slice of red pepper each
AM or PM (alternated) twice weekly, one small cherry tomato quartered, seeds removed, (one each)

Occasionally they will have a small cut up slice of apple, probably once/twice per week, but only once per day.

They have had a slice of banana each twice this week, one two separate days. Don't feed banana that often, as I read it can cause bit of constipation.

I've been tempted to feed a grape between them, but am sure I read somewhere that grapes were not good for their kidneys, so didn't give it.

Am I giving the right portion amount enough or too much on the days I've mentioned?

I'm paranoid of giving anything too much for fear of too much calcium or vitamin c or the oppositve way round.

Is it safe to give a leaf of this chicory to them and how often can it be given? I would use it as a treat maybe once month, (that's if they like it).

Anything else that I could give safely, only I feel that they may be possibly bored. They have the lettuce and cucumber every day. Any help would be very much appreciated.

Thank you. PS Sorry, just read this back and it's soooo long.

 

[fritsthegirl]

To me this sounds fine. I have never treated food for my guineas as an exact science, I just play it by ear and common sense mostly. They have thankfully not had any problems, so I am lucky I have never needed to be too precise about it. The only thing I do keep a close eye on is not to give them too many sweet, cabbaggy and sour things day after day. It is also interesting that some bladder stones are formed by too much calcium in the diet, but I think some types can be caused by too little calcium too. I am no expert on this though, I remember I read it on the Pete Gurney website.

My two also get a leaf each of lettuce, a thick piece of cucumber and half a celery stalk twice a day, every day. They love these staples and always eat them first, well not the celery so much but it is always gone by the next feeding session. Then they also get a little bit of veg/fruit that I rotate and change weekly, some they get a little of every day, but some just a couple of times a week. Things like carrot, french beans, kale, broccoli, fennel, tomato, apple, pepper, corn, kiwi fruit. These are given in quite small quantities. I often buy the same stuff, I know their favourites by now and they don't seem to get bored. They actually get a bit troubled if their normal stuff isn't there and sniff around for ages looking for it!

Some weeks I have loads of different veg for them, but other weeks I'll have quite a boring and minimal selection so I think it balances out in the end with the calcium content. Sancho also gets a bit of orange once a week too, he absolutely LOVES it. They get loads of grass every day in the summer, that is really their biggest food source. I think if you vary the food they get from week to week then you reduce the risk of giving them too much of anything. Lettuce and cucumber are quite good because they don't contain too much of anything, just a bit of vitamin C and lot of water which is especially good for one of my piggies because she never drinks.

When I do introduce new foods, I give a little the first day and then a bit more when I can see they are fine with it the next. I have given them the occasional grape, I take out any seeds, but I think as a rare treat for a perfectly healthy guinea it is OK. I've never given them chicory so don't know how much is OK sorry...

Sorry, my post was really long!

 

[Joey&Gizmo]

Here is my list of veg that i fed my boys, not everyday as i vary it for variety.

Baby carrots/carrots
Cucumber
Celery/leaves
Peppers - yellow/green
Broccoli
Cabbage
Kale
Rocket
Spinach
Watercress
Sweetcorn baby or corn on cob+leaves
Parsley
Lettuce all types but not iceberg.
Swede
Parsnip
Chicory
Green beans
Courgette
Dill
Mint
Cauliflower leaves
Pak choi
Spring greens
Sometimes apple but rarely.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

 

[missy]

It's great that you're really giving it lots of thought and want to experiment

I'm no expert and it can be really tricky to get the right balance, I know only too well! Looking at your menu I think the calcium : phosphorous ratio is pretty much spot on (clever lady!) but I'd look to cut down on how often you give kale, as it's best not to give kale every day (Laura advises no more than twice weekly in her ca : ph reference thread.) Incidentally, on the days when you add tomato or carrot to your main staple diet it does bring the overall ca:ratio down a little but I think that's still ok and I'm sure the girls enjoy the variety.

In your staple diet you seem to have one high calcium veg (kale) and the rest are all low calcium. It'd probably be a good idea to look at jiggling things around so you have a more even spread, swapping some of the low calcium foods for a medium or high calcium food. You could do this fine tuning and still keep the great ratio that you have now but it does require a bit of fiddling as I'm sure you've discovered!

According to Lauras thread, chicory is high calcium but is classed as a 'daily' veg, so you don't need to limit how often.

I've noticed that you don't mention any herbs. Have you tried coriander, parsley or dill? Mine love those and I think most do too! They're high calcium, so you'll have to watch that, but are all classed as a 'daily'. Parsley would be a great substitute instead of the kale as it has almost the same amount of vit c, calcium and phosphrous but is fine to feed daily, within the right mix. I'd definitely make that swap if I were you.

Have you been following Ratewatchers or using the Guinea Lynx calculator? If not, then you've been doing great using your own detective skills! Good job, Beth! x

 

[Monkeynutz]

Thank you girls for all your tips.

Missy, yep, forgot to mention that I give herbs. Have tried coriander, parsley, basil, but not anything else, so I think I will try some dill and fennel and see how they get on.

I just don't want them to feel bored by the same selection, so will alternate it, introducing the new herbs.

I also give baby sweetcorn, but I think it may be fattening?

They loved the chicory, I gave 2 small leaves each this morning. Would it be okay to give it again tonight, or maybe tomorrow morning, then again say Friday? I just never know when to give enough of the same vegetable.

 

[Joey&Gizmo]

Where did you get your chicory from? As i only seem to get it every now and then when they stock it in tesco, as you love near to me i was wondering what shop you bought it from, as my boys love it when i can get it!

I think that giving it in small amounts every other day should be fine. But I'm sure someone can clarify it.

 

[flips]

Baby sweetcorn is fine but you are right, it is fattening, so don't give it regularly.

I have basics that my pigs get most days- lettuce, cabbage, carrots, peppers, green beans, tomato and herbs (various varieties and combinations)- but they also get things like corn on the cob, melon, apple, grapes when I have them in. Because there's just me and the pigs here to eat things up, they may get a small amount of a treat food for a couple of days in a row (such as corn or melon) but they won't be having again for a few weeks. My veg bill is much bigger since I got my girls but I eat more healthily because of it. |)

 

[Monkeynutz]

Where did you get your chicory from? As i only seem to get it every now and then when they stock it in tesco, as you love near to me i was wondering what shop you bought it from, as my boys love it when i can get it!

I think that giving it in small amounts every other day should be fine. But I'm sure someone can clarify it.

Hiya, I got the chicory from Waitrose. I usually shop in Asda, but sometimes in Waitrose when we're running low on Milk, plus they do a variety of vegetables, so was lucky to find it there.

Thanks again.