Fresh forage my piglets had today 🙂

alpacasqueak

alpacasqueak

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Thought it might be nice to start a thread like this now it’s looking like spring!
And maybe helpful for people who’d like to pick a bit of forage for their piggies :)

My gang very much enjoying theirs for breakfast yesterday :drool:
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So on the menu yesterday was-
grass, ribwort plantain, dandelion leaves and flowers, vetch, avens and sticky weed! :D

This morning was the same but without plantain, baby hedge bindweed and bramble leaves instead. (With the spikes removed!)
They love eating them but my clumsy hands and arms don’t like picking them! :))

Here’s the forum thread on safe foraging for piggies :)
Wild UK forage for guinea pigs
Happy foraging! Piggy scoff pics very welcome :D

(And just in case anyone notices, yep Luigi’s fatty throat lump is quite large now bless him! But not getting in the way of his grub just yet of course! 🐷:love:)
 
Tnoz said:
Absolutely save us a fortune on supermarket supplies, have fun, I was out last night cutting grass with scissors, bet neighbours think I’m bonkers 😂
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Mine have for years, chopping apple tree branches down with a kitchen knife and in the brambles! XD
Good idea to take it slow, with grass and forage, glad your piggies have enjoyed :) Definitely saves a few pennies when this greenery is around!
 
I planted my own apple tree and willows in the garden to have my own supply for when I had rabbits too. They are all matured enough now to readily pick from so I’m excited! There’s been no interest in the four foster boy buns I have so they might get to enjoy the willow that my rainbow buns have helped to grow (they are buried under them ❤️)
 
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Got mine an afternoon snack which they are loving!

The foster buns are suspicious of the fresh forage! But usually nibble it at their leisure!
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(Excuse the bun poos, no matter how often I sweep/poover more magically appear 😂)
 
I know, no romaine or anything, is there a shortage on them or just no delivery,
 
It's a mixture, the farmers couldn't afford to heat the greenhouses with the price of gas etc. according to one report I saw 80% of this years crop has been dumped. We also have a shortage of workers to pick produce. Spanish (where a lot of our salad stuff comes from) truckers are on strike as well as the transport problems in this country. I'm really glad I am able to grow my own and have access to forage.
 
Lavinia said:
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Got mine an afternoon snack which they are loving!

The foster buns are suspicious of the fresh forage! But usually nibble it at their leisure!
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(Excuse the bun poos, no matter how often I sweep/poover more magically appear 😂)
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Hope you enjoyed gorgeous piggles! :luv:😘
Aw bless the magic poo-producers! Don’t blame them with the sticky weed though, foul stuff! It must taste blooming nice, definitely can’t be the texture! 😖
 
piggieminder said:
It's a mixture, the farmers couldn't afford to heat the greenhouses with the price of gas etc. according to one report I saw 80% of this years crop has been dumped. We also have a shortage of workers to pick produce. Spanish (where a lot of our salad stuff comes from) truckers are on strike as well as the transport problems in this country. I'm really glad I am able to grow my own and have access to forage.
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I’ve been able to get it here thankfully, just doesn’t seem to last long going grotty very quickly! :doh:
Bet your boys love it so close by! :drool::love: Wish I could grow more here, but just the herbs and bits and bobs really, if only I had a proper garden!
 
Totally forgot but I’ve also been growing my weeds @piggieminder!
These lot hoovered the milk thistle the other day which is growing really well, and the greater plantain is finally starting to grow, need to move into bigger pots soon though I think, got 3 of those! :)) Won’t be able to move soon! :))
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But the dandelion was a bit of a failure! 🤦‍♀️😆Going to try again when I have the energy, got so many seeds, spoilt beggars :))
Also got some catnip seeds to grow for Daisy so she didn’t feel left out :)
 
alpacasqueak said:
I’ve been able to get it here thankfully, just doesn’t seem to last long going grotty very quickly! :doh:
Bet your boys love it so close by! :drool::love: Wish I could grow more here, but just the herbs and bits and bobs really, if only I had a proper garden!
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You could try some pick and come again lettuce in a pot on your windowsill. My boys have got some tonight from a pot in the greenhouse, picked a bit early but it will grow quickly again. I got a packet with a good mix of leaf types in Wilkinsons.
 
piggieminder said:
You could try some pick and come again lettuce in a pot on your windowsill. My boys have got some tonight from a pot in the greenhouse, picked a bit early but it will grow quickly again. I got a packet with a good mix of leaf types in Wilkinsons.
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I tried it a couple of years ago with mixed salad leaf seeds from Wilkos but that was another failure! (Some things do rubbish in here but probably just me really! :))) So I didn’t try last year, but grabbed some more seeds recently and will try again 🤞 Very handy to have around!
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My lot get grass everyday, plus anything we find in the garden, hedgerows and allotment. Groundsel, Milk Thistle, Clevers, Dandelion and fennel fronds are a big Yes! at the moment
 
I too have started to feed my lot forage from the garden. So far grass, dandelion, plantain, clover and hairy bitterweed have all been a hit. Hopefully in the upcoming months I'll be able to go to the forest and 'harvest' more of a variety of plants and try drying some for forage in the winter.
 
The piglets tried cow parsley for the first time today, it went down very well! :drool: (Never brave enough to pick it even though I know 100% it’s not hemlock! But there was so much I really couldn’t deprive the fatties!)
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No idea what’s happened to Gigi’s hair today, think he annoyed the Mrs and she walloped him! :gd::))
 
I’ve been picking lots of forage for mine too! I have 3 bunnies and 6 guinea pigs so I pick quite a lot, share it out and put the rest in the dehydrator. 😊
Here’s a photo of stuff I picked yesterday, I’m about to go for a walk now and pick todays dinner 😁
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luckyandsammy said:
I’ve been picking lots of forage for mine too! I have 3 bunnies and 6 guinea pigs so I pick quite a lot, share it out and put the rest in the dehydrator. 😊
Here’s a photo of stuff I picked yesterday, I’m about to go for a walk now and pick todays dinner 😁
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Ooh lucky beasties! :drool: Hope they all enjoyed :D
@Lavinia had a dehydrator too, I’m very jealous, really must invest in one!
 
Here’s what I managed to find today, I don’t have photos of everything:
Wood avens
Willowherb
Hairy bittercress (does anyone know if the seeds are okay to feed?)
Herb robert
Bristly oxtongue (the piggies have never tried this before!)
White deadnettle
A tiny bit of yarrow
Lots of brambles
Lots of wild strawberry leaves
Hazel
Dandelion

Dinner has been shared out, the dehydrator is on and there’s a tub of forage in the fridge for tomorrow, either for the rabbits & guinea pigs dinner or to dehydrate. 😅

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luckyandsammy said:
Here’s what I managed to find today, I don’t have photos of everything:
Wood avens
Willowherb
Hairy bittercress (does anyone know if the seeds are okay to feed?)
Herb robert
Bristly oxtongue (the piggies have never tried this before!)
White deadnettle
A tiny bit of yarrow
Lots of brambles
Lots of wild strawberry leaves
Hazel
Dandelion

Dinner has been shared out, the dehydrator is on and there’s a tub of forage in the fridge for tomorrow, either for the rabbits & guinea pigs dinner or to dehydrate. 😅

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What a good haul :D
No idea about the hairy bittercress seeds sorry, I haven’t really found it around here so I’ve not even fed that! Normally it’s a no with seeds for pigs so I’d probably leave them out myself.
 
Betsy said:
I think I have Herb Robert growing mad in my garden! I'll take a piccie of it tomorrow and pop it on here to see what you all think. I didn't know piggies could have it.
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Me too! I've just weeded a load out today.
Can anyone recommend a dehydrator. I've been looking for ages now but don't know what to buy. They range in price from £20 to £200, I'm not spending anything like £200 but I don't know what I'm looking at in terms of the cheaper ones.
 
piggieminder said:
Me too! I've just weeded a load out today.
Can anyone recommend a dehydrator. I've been looking for ages now but don't know what to buy. They range in price from £20 to £200, I'm not spending anything like £200 but I don't know what I'm looking at in terms of the cheaper ones.
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I just tried to look for the one I got last year but it doesn’t appear to be available anymore. However it was £40 and an Andrew James model, I did a bit of Googling and it came up as a good one. I especially liked that it was rectangular so it had a bit of a larger surface area.
I think from my looking last year, most of the cheaper ones are just as good so I definitely wouldn’t invest too much cash into it.
 
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