Foraging

[Siikibam]

So I went out earlier...to the end of the road! There are some stinging nettles, and I found some sticky weed as welll! Picked some for them and some more from the garden. I was stung but nothing major. I’ll probably try and pick some more later or tomorrow. I put in some blackberry leaves as well.

What forage have you picked for your piggies?

 

[Betsy]

I have loads of Hazelnut trees in my back garden soy lot get some of the leaves I have also dried some as forage for the winter. I have blackberry brambles growing in the "wild" bit so when I have picked the blackberries in Aug/Sept, they can have the leaves.

 

[Darcey15]

We've got some huge dandilion leaves on the field by our house so they are plucked every few days. The field (which is a recreation area normally) wasn't mowed until last week with a very rough cut & the grass was so tall it left behind masses of hay which dried in the sun. I bought a few large hessian sacks, stuffed them and left them to air. The resulting hay is fab- lovely long stalks which the piggies are munching happily. I haven't even used up 1 sack yet & there are 4 others in the shed keeping dry. Quite pleased to save that money!

Can I ask about nettles? Why is it that pigs are not stung on their mouth from them? We have lots of nettles too but I was always worried about that.

 

[Siikibam]

We've got some huge dandilion leaves on the field by our house so they are plucked every few days. The field (which is a recreation area normally) wasn't mowed until last week with a very rough cut & the grass was so tall it left behind masses of hay which dried in the sun. I bought a few large hessian sacks, stuffed them and left them to air. The resulting hay is fab- lovely long stalks which the piggies are munching happily. I haven't even used up 1 sack yet & there are 4 others in the shed keeping dry. Quite pleased to save that money!

Can I ask about nettles? Why is it that pigs are not stung on their mouth from them? We have lots of nettles too but I was always worried about that.

You give them dried. Once they’re dry they seem to lose their sting. Us hoomans can actually have nettle soup...no thanks

 

[teddymouse]

Nettle tea is a diuretic.

 

[Siikibam]

Just to confirm the below is morning glory isn’t it. So the leaves are okay.

Does anyone know what this one is? The leaves are long and kind of pointed with 3 sections.

 

[PigglePuggle]

Morning glory is poisonous I think! It contains a hallucinogenic drug like LSD, mostly in the seeds but personally I wouldnt risk a plant like that for piggies... it may be ok just the leaves but it may not...
My piggies are just getting my homegrown grass and clover and dandelions, that Inplanted myself, plus some leaves from my raspberry bush which I think are nutritionally similar to spinach but I read somewhere that like nettles they are supposed to be good for bladders and pee... not that we have any pee issues except its all pink as the piggies had homegrown beetroot yesterday!

 

[Siikibam]

Morning glory is poisonous I think! It contains a hallucinogenic drug like LSD, mostly in the seeds but personally I wouldnt risk a plant like that for piggies... it may be ok just the leaves but it may not...
My piggies are just getting my homegrown grass and clover and dandelions, that Inplanted myself, plus some leaves from my raspberry bush which I think are nutritionally similar to spinach but I read somewhere that like nettles they are supposed to be good for bladders and pee... not that we have any pee issues except its all pink as the piggies had homegrown beetroot yesterday!

I saw morning glory (hedge bindweed) on the list of forage. Apparently field bindweed can be toxic in large quantities. I always want confirmation before feeding.

I planted some grass as well which is growing well indoors. they’ve had off-cuts about 3-4 times now. I need to plant the long trough I bought once the coriander and green beans are gone. Or I need to clear the other window sill and put it there.

Did you plant the clover or it was already growing in your garden? Beetroot, nice. I like it cut in small strips with salad mix.

 

[Darcey15]

You give them dried. Once they’re dry they seem to lose their sting. Us hoomans can actually have nettle soup...no thanks

Thanks- I'll grab some soon and see if they like it. I've never fancied nettle soup but maybe I need to open my mind to that! (Maybe not ).

 

[PigglePuggle]

I saw morning glory (hedge bindweed) on the list of forage. Apparently field bindweed can be toxic in large quantities. I always want confirmation before feeding.

I planted some grass as well which is growing well indoors. they’ve had off-cuts about 3-4 times now. I need to plant the long trough I bought once the coriander and green beans are gone. Or I need to clear the other window sill and put it there.

Did you plant the clover or it was already growing in your garden? Beetroot, nice. I like it cut in small strips with salad mix.

I planted the clover, I bought seeds- and for the dandelions, I brought a couple of dandelion clocks home from the park, and planted them all amongst my grass window box forage! We only have a patio, with a raised flowerbed and lots of planters and window boxes growing piggy food, everything I have planted since we got the piggies is edible, but there are a few things I planted in the pre-piggy years- St John's Wort, foxgloves, honeysuckle, morning glory- that contain some potent poisons somewhere in the plant, so I avoid those!

 

[Siikibam]

I think I’ll have to plan the space I have and plant some as well.

 

[teddymouse]

I feed my piggies bindweed,they like it in its early growth, also know as columnbind.

 

[teddymouse]

Siilkibam the pointy leave plant is a member of the dandelions family, ok for piggies.
Carefull with clover can cause bloat

 

[Siikibam]

Thank you @teddymouse so that bindweed (I’ve always known it as morning glory) I can feed the leaves? I’ll go pick some more tomorrow.

 

[LMPigs]

Does anyone know what this one is? The leaves are long and kind of pointed with 3 sections.
View attachment 146017

I think that is some kind of Hawkbit. There are various native species - basically all small dandelions as someone has said above. Ok for pigs to eat, but I have no idea about calcium or anything so maybe not too frequently of that's a concern

 

[piggieminder]

Today my piggies had sow thistle, dandelion, bramble and plantain. I only feed one leaf of each as they are all quite high in calcium. They also get grass every morning. I love foraging it helps to vary their diet without having a fridge full of piggie food going off, before the pandemic I shopped most days for them on the way back from my walk but I don't want to go in shops more than necessary now.

 

[Siikibam]

Today my piggies had sow thistle, dandelion, bramble and plantain. I only feed one leaf of each as they are all quite high in calcium. They also get grass every morning. I love foraging it helps to vary their diet without having a fridge full of piggie food going off, before the pandemic I shopped most days for them on the way back from my walk but I don't want to go in shops more than necessary now.

I want to try and feed more forage now. Is there anywhere that lists the calcium content in forage?

 

[Siikibam]

Sorry me again please can someone tell me what the below ones are and whether they’re safe to feed.
The big leaves

I’m also super happy because I found broad leaf plantain in the garden. Just one patch of it but nonetheless I’m happy

 

[piggieminder]

I want to try and feed more forage now. Is there anywhere that lists the calcium content in forage?

I haven't found anywhere with a good list. I am picking up odd info up here and there and observing the deposits left on the fleece as well. Rusty and Peanut are calcium markers in more ways than one! My vet gave me a list of veg which is copied from Rabbit Health News 1994 Vol.11, P7 -author John E. Harkness. It's a little helpful but not completely as the things it lists to feed daily just about all give my piggies sludge. I also lost belief in it when I got to the list of treats only small amounts - coriander and the list good choices - cilantro, this is the same thing so which is it? It lists dandelion as 103mg, I assume per kilo but it doesn't say that. It gives sweet peppers as 6mg, loose leaf lettuce 38mg if that helps see how high 103mg is. There's a list of things not to feed or only very occasionally in small amounts which includes clover, goosegrass, sowthistle, spearthistle and sheperd's purse but with no actual calcium amount.
The vets have also told me that it's one thing to reduce the calcium if feeding a high calcium diet but going too low can also cause stones as calcium will be stripped from the bones and also cause other problems later in life. A diet too rich in oxalates will also cause stones so foods such as spinach, celery, parsley and strawberry should be limited. The whole diet thing can just become a minefield the more you look into it. Another reason why I now feed a small bit of a variety of foods and keep an eye on the fleece.

 

[Siikibam]

I haven't found anywhere with a good list. I am picking up odd info up here and there and observing the deposits left on the fleece as well. Rusty and Peanut are calcium markers in more ways than one! My vet gave me a list of veg which is copied from Rabbit Health News 1994 Vol.11, P7 -author John E. Harkness. It's a little helpful but not completely as the things it lists to feed daily just about all give my piggies sludge. I also lost belief in it when I got to the list of treats only small amounts - coriander and the list good choices - cilantro, this is the same thing so which is it? It lists dandelion as 103mg, I assume per kilo but it doesn't say that. It gives sweet peppers as 6mg, loose leaf lettuce 38mg if that helps see how high 103mg is. There's a list of things not to feed or only very occasionally in small amounts which includes clover, goosegrass, sowthistle, spearthistle and sheperd's purse but with no actual calcium amount.
The vets have also told me that it's one thing to reduce the calcium if feeding a high calcium diet but going too low can also cause stones as calcium will be stripped from the bones and also cause other problems later in life. A diet too rich in oxalates will also cause stones so foods such as spinach, celery, parsley and strawberry should be limited. The whole diet thing can just become a minefield the more you look into it. Another reason why I now feed a small bit of a variety of foods and keep an eye on the fleece.

My goodness that makes balancing things very hard! I’ve now stopped feeding celery as it seems it’s not a good option. I don’t give them strawberries as they don’t really like them. And I only buy parsley maybe three times a year and it lasts them for at least 2 weeks. In fact it sometimes goes off and I have to chuck it.

 

[piggieminder]

The bottom one is sow thistle that's okay, the pink flowered one is a bramble the leaves are okay, sorry don't know the top one.
The latest copy of Guinea Pig Magazine has a really good article on foraging. It does list sorrel as something you can feed but I've seen this somewhere else as something you shouldn't feed. I'd avoid it anyway, it was used in the old days as a purgative, I think piggies can do with out it, they poop enough as it is!