Leafy Greens

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Hi All,

Well I am all for trying to give the pigguns the best in life so wondered would it be ok to keep them on a diet of leafy greens and herbs as well as hay and dried food?

I get confused, people say don't give carrots, give 2 portions of leafy veg per meal. Of course I find Green pepper great for vit c and all mine love it including Eccles :smitten: but they could live without carrots and celery and probably cucumber.

I'm confuzzled! I fancy growing my own herbs too.

Louise
:)
 
I get confused too Louise but I give mine leafy greens appox 3 times a week. I tend to give more veg based stuff in the morning and salady type stuff in the evening. Mine get loads of herbs, but not too much parsley. They love basil, mint and corriander in that order.
 
Thanks! I'm thinking along the lines of Cuzzy doesn't like carrots etc but will eat loads of leaf based foods. I'll try and look at Cavycages nutrition and work something out for the lot of them. Eccles is fussy too, but he is only a babe so it's understandable.

:)
 
Lennie will only eat pointed cabbage, no other type but other than that, mine aren`t fussy at all as long as they get loads ;D
 
mine arent keen on carrots etc they only like leafy veg, herbs and cucumber oh and banana
 
i know lots say dont give them leafy foods everyday, but my two girls who are both nearly 6 yrs old have had spring greens everyday for as long as i have had them which is pretty much 6 years! they love their greens, as do my boys. meeka wont touch the stuff though I'm trying to get her to eat but all shes interested in is melon, peas, brocolli and cucumber atm!

growing your own carrots its quite easy providing the slugs dont eat your tops! lol i got mine from pampered piggies to grow myself O0
 
why cant you give carrots,, mine all love carrots and have them most days if not every other day,, is this wrong ::)
 
I tend to give mine one small piece of carrot a day, rather than a normal size piece every so often if that makes sense? xx
 
welll i give mine one selction of leafy greens each meal times and 2 over veggies nd there have 2 meals a day

my lilly would freak out if she didnt get her leafy stuff
 
Fruits and roots contain the wrong Calcium to Phosphorus ratio for guineas. Ideally grasses, herbage (carefully selected) and hays would be a good diet. Vegetables are fine but there is a tendency to think that guineas need lots more of them than they do- same with dried foods including all the treats and biscuits that they are given- natural or not.

In my opinion a diet should be made up of some veg x2 daily, Readigrass/Just Grass, Cavy Cuisine (have looked but nothing equals it and in the long run its not expensive because they don't need a lot, its just the initial cost of the bag).

Depending on how many guineas you have or how committed you are then you can grow grasses and herbage. I sell the grass and herbage that I grow for my own guineas on:Planet Guinea all seeds come with hints and tips on feeding and growing and suitability to the diet ie treat/special diet/ad lib.

Lots of herbage should only be fed in moderation and any that I haven't researched isn't on my site.

Herbs are cheaper for me to buy, I can get shed loads of Coriander, Dill and Parsley from our local shop and I don't sell anything I don't grow, but there are plenty of places to get parsley etc.

I supply Pampered Piggies with some of her seeds (only ones I will sell myself) but can't guarantee whether or not you will receive instructions etc, I also give out a complimentary trial sample every month. This months is Organic wheatgrass and a magnetic calendar (guinea one of course :) )
 
So if we grew our own herbs and grasses from your site Karen, would we be able to sort of devise a diet plan thing from just herbs and grass using the info you give with the seeds? i'd much rather do this, i get really confused with the veg and they love all herbs more than veg. Apart from Spinach, they will do tricks for spinach, Bee stands up when i say spinach now its great! x
 
That's what I was thinking too Emma. I prefer a natural at possible diet. :)
 
Thats a fantastic idea.
I'd love to have a good diet plan for mine O0
 
I should say so and if you want to I'll help you. Mine get a mix of veg and home grown stuff and loads of hay. Just remember that guineas are not an exact science! You can feed them the same low calcium diet and one will get recurring bladderstones, you just minimise the risk and are helping with good dental health :)
 
Are you thinking grass and herbage and do you want the complete kit ie compost and trays? Herbage is best in pots/window boxes.
 
It sounds good to me because they do prefer herbs and if its better for them its better all round! What kinds of veg do you give with them? Can you give the each herb most days or do you have to give different ones each day? where about would the tray go lol? Sorry if that sounds really stupid ;D
 
:D ;D

Its herbage as in weeds (to uneducated people LOL!). Plantain, Clover Chicory etc (have a look :) ), these I feed as a treat because of the different properties etc that they have. Either a small amount daily or varied, I vary mine :)

The grass (Cereal) is nutritious because its young and contains lots of Protein (around 20%,) and other vits and minerals. Sunflower Greens are very very high in Protein so a treat or source of Protein but they also contain lots of B vits. I don't feed alsalfa to mine but have grown it and stock it at the moment. I think its best mixed in with other grasses for an outside environment. My favourite is Timothy, a really lovely grasss that is beneficial nutritionally and for playing in, the guineas love it :)

Can't help with where your tray will go! Out of direct heat and draughts in the light. I just put a tray or pot where it fits, Its only there for 10 days then it needs cutting or will go yellow. I don't use second cuts either but thats up to you :)

I can get compost without any additives at all but that means no 'plant food' too so it doesn't last as long but you know exactly whats going into guinea :) However, once it goes in you have no control over metaboloism etc ;D

Window boxes with grass in look really good and obviously sit on the window sill indoors, the guineas usually turn them on their sides to get at the grass ::)
 
It sounds really good, could the trays go in the shed with the pigs? ill definately be looking into it more when my sheds done and I'm feeling more organised where the pigs are concerned! So i will be having a look at your site :) thanks for the help Karen xx
 
Yes they can but look out for mice! the grain attracts them and they will dig it up to get at it ::) I n the summer I put trays outside and mice are a bigger problem than anything else ::) You can put trays on top of each other but they need to come off when the grass starts shooting so you need alternative protection :)
 
Excellent website karenrgpr!
How much Timothy Grass can be fed a day along with veg?
I usually weigh out 200g a day of veg for the pigs. None of them can manage 250g along with hay and pellets.


Sophie :)
 
Timothy Grass can be fed ad lib to guineas- they'll eat as much as they want= but, introduce gradually by feeding a meal of hay before Tim Grass when you first introduce it and monitor droppings :) Its their ideal grass along with the Orchard Grass, Rye is too rich (though not toxic and still fine to feed :) )
 
readigrass is agreat favourite,got abig sack the other day it smell lovely
 
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