dandelion questions

[twig braker]

so i know they can eat dandelions, and i read its really good for them so i would like to start feeding mine dandelions. so my question is can i use seeds from some outside to plant more or do i need to buy seeds. also if i am just walking around and i see some can i pick them and feed them to my tiel. and what parts of them can they eat?

[xxxSpikexxx]

I have heard of people eating dandelion leafs as well :) I would be very careful though not to pick them where pesticide has been sprayed or at the side of the road where cars exhaust fumes are. I would also make sure to wash them very well. I wonder if grocery stores sell them? I know they sell fiddle heads.

[twig braker]

so would just around my house be ok?

[xxxSpikexxx]

If there is no pesticide I think they would be ok. My Dad use to pick them at my Aunts house because they never used pesticide, he used them for making wine (the yellow part). I would just make sure to wash them really well.

[twig braker]

ok thank you. so the leaf part is the only part they can eat?

[sweetrsue]

The younger leaves are sweeter and more tender. So the smaller ones in he center are good.

[tielfan]

I found some dandelion seedlings cheap at a farmers market so now I have dandelion greens growing in pots. These are the cultivated "vegetable" variety that you find in the supermarket, not the wild yard-weed type. I'd be happy to give my birds the yard-weed type but they don't grow where I live.

[skthurley]

My two love dandelion leaves. I bought a huge container last month from the grocery store and added it to my bird's mash. :D I've been trying to up the amount of dark leafy greens in their diet. This and romaine lettuce are their fav!

[Terri Peters]

I have to admit, this is the first spring I have ever been excited for dandelions to pop up. We have three acres of yard and have never put down pesticides because my chickens free range. Now, watch this be the first summer in 42 years I have a dandelion free yard...LOL

[Aly]

Grow it yourself in a pot. That lessens the chance of pestecides or wild animals getting to them and infecting them.

[twig braker]

ok sounds good i will do that soon. thank you for input

[Aly]

Here is a little more info: Dandelion is a member of the sunflower family. The leaves have irregular and jagged edges and a yellow flower grows from the hollow stem in the center of the rosette of leaves. The leaves have a rich and slightly bitter flavor. They should be harvested only from pesticide free areas when the tender young leaves are less than six inches long. Recent research has shown the dandelion to be nature's richest vegetable source of cancer-fighting beta-carotene. Dandelion greens are richer in potassium than bananas, and the flowers are richer in lecithin than soybeans. Dandelions contain many trace minerals. Commercial growing of dandelion greens is a ten million-dollar annual business so parrot owners should be able to find them in many stores. Many birds enjoy the yellow dandelion flowers as well as the greens. Both are excellent sources of vitamin A, calcium, and other nutrients. Medicinal benefits: Useful as a digestive stimulant and as a treatment for gout, skin problems, and liver disorders.

[atvchick95]

Here is a little more info: Dandelion is a member of the sunflower family. The leaves have irregular and jagged edges and a yellow flower grows from the hollow stem in the center of the rosette of leaves. The leaves have a rich and slightly bitter flavor. They should be harvested only from pesticide free areas when the tender young leaves are less than six inches long. Recent research has shown the dandelion to be nature's richest vegetable source of cancer-fighting beta-carotene. Dandelion greens are richer in potassium than bananas, and the flowers are richer in lecithin than soybeans. Dandelions contain many trace minerals. Commercial growing of dandelion greens is a ten million-dollar annual business so parrot owners should be able to find them in many stores. Many birds enjoy the yellow dandelion flowers as well as the greens. Both are excellent sources of vitamin A, calcium, and other nutrients. Medicinal benefits: Useful as a digestive stimulant and as a treatment for gout, skin problems, and liver disorders.

that answered my question - i was going to ask, if they could eat the entire thing, flower, stem, leaves the whole 9 yards - i thought they could but couldn't remember :)

how ever i didn't know there were actual benefits to it, i just thought they liked it lol

[twig braker]

ya i never realized they were so great for you i might actually start eating them. just throwing some in a salad wont change the taste much.

[skthurley]

They're great in a salad! I didn't buy a container this month (as they weren't on sale this time) but I will for sure next month! Healthy for the birds, myself and my hubby. I may just have to sneak a few onto his sandwich lol

[Aly]

I may just have to sneak a few onto his sandwich lol

LOL...they're just like kids sometimes aren't they! :p

[skthurley]

lol! yup! my hubby is not a veggie guy at all. I have to mince up veggies and mix them in our meat dishes...... the same sort of concept that i use for my birds! lol!