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Post by milliej on Oct 18, 2014 17:01:05 GMT
Hezz mentioned on mintysowner post, to try him with various medication but dandelion? I'm wondering if she means the common garden yellow headed 'weed' and if so, can it be given as plucked from the grass? Thanks
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Post by starlingqueen on Oct 18, 2014 19:42:50 GMT
Yup dandelions straight from the garden, washed of course. The leaves and the flowers are great, but not too much as it is a diuretic and can inhibit the uptake of calcium.
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Post by skysmum on Oct 18, 2014 19:45:10 GMT
Just gonna say the same, just pick wash and serve  . mine love them but i only give once or twice a week, they love milk thistle too which seems plentiful at the moment . |
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Post by jellybean on Oct 18, 2014 20:06:02 GMT
I went out this morning and picked wild grasses for my boys, they absolutely love them, have never picked dandelion though, so will have to try that.
I had to Google milk thistle skysmum to see what it looked like, now I know, I'll have to look for it next time I'm out.
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Post by starlingqueen on Oct 18, 2014 20:21:33 GMT
We don't get milk thistle down my neck of the woods.
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Post by skysmum on Oct 18, 2014 20:28:54 GMT
Lots about here at the moment, must be the right time for it. I couldn't find any in the summer  . |
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Post by milliej on Oct 18, 2014 21:40:03 GMT
Yup dandelions straight from the garden, washed of course. The leaves and the flowers are great, but not too much as it is a diuretic and can inhibit the uptake of calcium. Well thanks! Now of course I won't be able to find any to try will I and we usually have heaps out front (not in the garden you understand  |
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Post by Hezz on Oct 19, 2014 0:45:37 GMT
As above, pick and wash.  Also the roots are just as good, maybe better. So that weed in the garden with the yellow flowers ........ don't pull it out; cultivate it. A weed is only a plant in the wrong place. I find with my birds, as with a lot of other things like this, if I offer them up all the time after a few days in a row they start to ignore them; offered sporadically or once a week, whenever, they are happy to have a chew. They know how to self-medicate without overdoing it; as I have said before, they are much smarter than us when it comes to knowing what is needed and how much.  |
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Post by samwiseg on Oct 19, 2014 9:50:38 GMT
I have never known what milk thistle is either starlingqueen so as you said it is not here in Kent I take it that is the reason why I dont know it? Can anyone enlighten me? |
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Post by starlingqueen on Oct 19, 2014 11:00:50 GMT
I have grown it from seed but even that didn't do very well. Not really sure why.
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Post by milliej on Oct 19, 2014 21:34:17 GMT
We don't get milk thistle down my neck of the woods. Possibly native near the coast of southeast England en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silybum_marianumquite common seemingly although I can't remember seeing any either, I'll take more notice in the spring! if I remember |
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Post by starlingqueen on Oct 19, 2014 22:54:24 GMT
I live on the south-east coast and I've never seen it. I've spent a lot of time looking for weeds as I feed them to a lot of my pets. In fact there is only one of my 22 pets that shouldn't in theory eat weeds, the dog, and even he does given the chance.
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Post by stace on Oct 19, 2014 23:55:26 GMT
I've never seen milk thistle in Sydney either. Hezz, do you use a commercial milk thistle extract? If so, do you have a link? |
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Post by Hezz on Oct 20, 2014 7:10:55 GMT
Actually any of the little thistles in the garden are useful; probably not as much as the real thing, but mine love a chew now and again ....... particularly the flowers. I do use a commercial one, stace but don't have a link sorry. The only important thing to look for is to make sure it is alcohol-free. Or you can get capsules, and sprinkle the contents over their food; I know that this is what Nat used. The better lines of organic produce or health food stores should have it. |
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Post by milliej on Oct 20, 2014 15:57:31 GMT
I live on the south-east coast and I've never seen it. I've spent a lot of time looking for weeds as I feed them to a lot of my pets. In fact there is only one of my 22 pets that shouldn't in theory eat weeds, the dog, and even he does given the chance. You have 22 pets.....now then, you either live in a zoo, a mansion or your pets are tiny.....or if my memory serves me correctly you have spiders, snakes and other err.....unusual 'pets' ......if I've got that right....what do you feed to your snake?  |
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. mine love them but i only give once or twice a week, they love milk thistle too which seems plentiful at the moment 
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Also the roots are just as good, maybe better. So that weed in the garden with the yellow flowers ........ don't pull it out; cultivate it. A weed is only a plant in the wrong place. 
