Winter forage done

[Swissgreys]

Today I went out and about and collected the piggies (and rabbits and hamster) winter forage.
It included hazel, apple, pear, willow, strawberry leaves and mulberry.
I rinse everything off lightly in the garden and leave it outside for 24 hours, before cutting it into smaller pieces and stacking it in a plastic tub (no lid) with layers of newspaper in between.
I also have a separate box with dandelions and plantain.
It will be left in our cellar, and I can pop down and get pieces as the occasional treat for the piggies during the winter.
It's not quite the same as fresh branches in the warmer months, but they seem to like it all the same.

 

[Sparklepetal]

I did similar last month, gathering apple, strawberry and hazel leaves and apple twigs to dry and store. The girls seem enthusiastic whenever I pop a few bits in the cage, the home-grown twigs being way more popular than ones you can buy in a plastic bag from the pet shop!

I remember back when I was a child and we were so clueless about piggies (although we loved them and tried to be good owners), they used to gather their own apple leaves that fell from the trees where their run was - we joked that they were enjoying crunchy 'toast'!