Queen Annes Lace(wild carrots)

[Six2start]

are they any good for chickens?
reason i ask is i have a whole bunch growing in my yard, i think so anyway
and eventually i'm gonna have pull em all out before i start breeding domestic carrots
and rather than throw em in a burn pile for compostable ash i would rather feed em to my chickens when i get em
but only if it isn't bad for em

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I would skip it personally.

1.They can get impacted crop by eating long fibrous material unless it is chopped very short for them.


2. This quote is from the following website:

"People can eat the large taproot, which of course, is a carrot. The leaves of the plant, though, are toxic, and may irritate the skin.
Relationship to Humans:

As mentioned above, the taproots of Queen Anne's Lace are carrots, and are edible. Be cautious when handling this plant, though. Skin irritation is common. Also, there is a similar-looking plant, called Water Hemlock, which is deadly to eat. People have died eating what they thought was Queen Anne's Lace. Do not attempt to eat Queen Anne's Lace unless you have a positive identification from an expert!"

http://wildedibleandmedicinalplants.blogspot.com/2010/06/queen-annes-lace-daucus-carota.html

More helpful info:
http://www.foragingtexas.com/2008/08/queen-annes-lace.html

Chickens can often eat things that we wouldn't eat. But in this case, I'd skip it personally.

They LOVE grass clippings, chopped 2-3 inches in length, clover, and dandelion leaves. I would steer you in this direction.

(I have done quite a bit of reading on edible wild plants but am no expert by any means.)

 

[Six2start]

thanks for the info and the links
not actually sure what these are jsut yet but i'll make sure to avoid feeding em to my chickens

 

[Oregon Blues]

My geese won't eat it.

 

[dragonlair]

None of my animals will eat it, horses, goats, chickens........

 

[mikkatkro]

The queen ann's lace or wild carrot, seeds have been used to prevent heat in domestic cats so knowing this it might not be a good idea to feed it to hens if you want them to lay eggs. I am not sure what effect it may have on egg production but if you want to hatch out chicks id destroy every plant they have access to. Or dead head the flowers, that's what I do so they don't go to seed

 

[mikkatkro]

Was courteous to know if others have info on this subject. I gave my hens ground flax seed organic food grade sorghum seed and chi seed to help improve production. Does anyone have information or comments on this?

 

[Penpal]

My animals don't eat it either. I let it grow because it looks pretty and stays in flower for a while.