What will eat nettles?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Anonymous
  • Start date Start date
A

Anonymous

Guest
Do muscovies eat nettles?

My garden is rather overrun and I was wondering if I could harness a little natural help. A couple of summers ago I allowed a mixture of duckling and chicks to have the free range of my garden and they stripped the bottom leaves off the nettles. and If I bent the tops over they would eat those leaves as well. by the end of the summer they had cleared the lot.

However the last two years I have not had any poultry in teh garden and the nettles have taken back over again. So I was wondering about putting a couple of water fowl in, but don't want anything too noisy, hence muscovies.

So if anyone knows if they would eat nettles I'd be very grateful. I have 3 small ponds and a shed for them.

Thanks

Vivie
 
Turkeys eat nettles. My ducks won't touch them...not sure about muscovies but I doubt they will eat them...

I pick my nettles at this time of year (with gloves) and make nettle soup, tastes lovely ;) Then, in the summer, nettles are a real help for the butterflies.

I wouldn't want them all over the garden though, a small patch is enough :D
 
Thanks Tim and David.

I was hoping that muscovies, being more inclined to vegetation than most ducks, might like them and i would have liked an excuse to get a couple of muscovies, I might get a few anyway!

But thansk for the advise.

Vivie.
 
My chooks eat nettles,ok they're not ducks but mine love nettles.especially when just coming through so fresh and tender :D .
 
Thanks Lydia. The last time I had chickens in the garden they were mixed with ducks and something was definitely eating the nettles, but the chicken kept making the great escape, either digging under the wire fence or CLIMBING over it! You really have to see chickens climbing up chicken wire to believe it! Obvoiusly the neighbour did not mind the chickens going in his garden in winter to scratch around, but once the spring came they were not as welcome in his seed beds! The ducks were far more docile and stayed in the garden, but the females had rather a loud QUACK! Hence the desire for muscovies.

Vivie
 
My (first ever!!) 6 week old chucks joined their new family in the coop today and immediately headed for a patch of nettles. They both "peeped" in shock and hopped around a bit at first taste but then immediately went back for more!! I read somewhere that chickens will only eat nettles if introduced to them young. Don't know if there's any truth to that but my two little babies were certainly enjoying them.

I'm new to the both the forum and chicken keeping and am thoroughly enjoying both experiences :P
 
I tell you what will scoff your nettles....

Rheas :)

I have 8 & they love em. They also woof all the dandelions. Err.... they may be a little large for your garden, I dunno, what do you think?

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn212/hellsbells67/IMG_0154.jpg
 
Rheas - oh wow!

I'm made nettle soup before - I guess there's no reason why you couldn't try the chooks with some cooked nettles... :P
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top