Duckweed

[Farm Girl]

Does anyone here feed their rabbits duckweed?

 

[MaggieJ]

I've seen discussions about the possibility of feeding it to rabbits, but I've never known of anyone who actually did it. My concern would be the water quality from which it came. I would not want to feed my rabbits anything from stagnant pond water. I think it might be a better bet to use for poultry than rabbits... and, of course, it makes wonderful mulch on the garden.

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

Duckweed is one of those water plants that needs clean water--it can also be grown quite easily in a small swimming pool, a fish tank, etc. I always found the best natural sites to have some water flow- stagnant water grows too many anaerobic nasties, making the pH of the water to unfavorable for duckweed. The protein levels in dried duckweed are extremely high. The rabbits I had way back when, liked it very well. Lemna minor is a little less picky than Lemna trisulca. I have yet to find a natural site of Lemna majorto compare it's favored conditions.

 

[MaggieJ]

Thank you, Terry. Good to hear from someone who has actually fed duckweed to rabbits. Do you feed it fresh or dried?

Do you think one could grow it in a plastic tote indoors? How much light would it need? I'm thinking winter greens for both the poultry and buns.

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

plastic totes would be fine-- but do include fish to provide the nutrients it needs-- with a bit of gentle aeration and water movement-- This stuff does NOT grow in the dark-- cool water, probably about 70 degrees (goldfish type temps) lots of light. It reproduces by budding new plants off the older ones-- it will adhere to the metal screens.
dried gives you the highest protein levels (in excess of 90%) We can eat it, as well-- wet, well, it can get kinda messy to handle-- sticks all over!!! dry on a 'plastic' window screen--
I still remember the exchange related to me about one prof walking in on the other as my herbarium was being graded-- Lemna Minor is the Smallest blooming, thermogenic plant-- in other words, the plant produces heat when it blooms- to aid in 'pollination'- the heat attracts insects-- much like the Skunk cabbage.

 

[MaggieJ]

Cool info, Terry! Just what we needed!

 

[Farm Girl]

Thanks for the info.
It would be coming off a pond, I'm not sure how clean the water is though. Maybe I'll try it on one or two rabbits and see how they like it.

 

[man-alive]

I found some duckweed the other day. I'm growing it in a bucket at the moment until I decide what to do with it. I had plans on growing it in some kiddie pools with screens over the top (to keep the dogs and bugs out). But unless some kind of rack to "stack" the kiddie pools on, one atop the other, could be built so that you didn't block the light from the bottem one, I can't see how it can be done. I know it grows fast, but rabbits i'm sure can eat it faster than it grows, unless one had quite a reasonable head start on it. If the rack couldn't be designed then I doubt if anyones has a backyard with a big enough footprint to grow enough duckweed. Why then do I still have the duckweed in a bucket you ask? I'm not real sure actually... maybe that eureka moment

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

just grow it-- dry it, feed as a supplemental treat. It may be a small plant-- but packs all that protein!

 

[Miss M]

just grow it-- dry it, feed as a supplemental treat. It may be a small plant-- but packs all that protein!

Right -- with that high protein content, Man-Alive, you wouldn't want to be giving a lot of it to the buns anyway. Using it as a treat, or a small part of what you regularly give them, would really be it's place, anyway. So maybe you're swimming pool is enough.

To avoid the "anaerobic nasties", you could put a bubbler in the water. A weak Miracle Gro solution may be able to take the place of fish?

Otherwise, you're looking at fishtank maintenance.

 

[MaggieJ]

There are organic, fish-based fertilizers. I wonder if a dash of one of those would work. Is it even necessary?

I was thinking that if it can be dried, it might best be used as a winter supplement. I'll bet the chickens and geese would like it too.

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

To avoid the "anaerobic nasties", you could put a bubbler in the water. A weak Miracle Gro solution may be able to take the place of fish?

Otherwise, you're looking at fishtank maintenance.

NO on the Miracle Grow!! NOT if feeding the plants to the rabbits-- MiracleGrow IS mentioned when trying to raise daphnia- but as a way to boost algal growth. One can make a very weak manure tea of rabbit berries if one feels the need to fertilize a container of duckweed-- but a couple goldfish, in a small swimming pool, will do quite well without 'fishtank maintenance' Throw some stone in the bottom,, add a couple water plants like Arum or pond lilies-- or even float a net pot with your favorite posies on the water surface-- the plant roots clean the water,, the fish fertilize, and the duckweed will grow..

 

[man-alive]

I have my duckweed growing in a little rabbit maure (in water of course). I've heard of people burning it if done with chicken manure, no surprise there. But the rabbit manure seems to be doing the job fine.

And Miss M I get it now... just as an additive. That very well could be done then.

 

[Miss M]

That is true that simple (feeder) goldfish would do okay without fishtank maintenance. If it's a bucket, one goldfish. Kiddie pool, maybe 5. They're very dirty, but I guess the duckweed would be taking care of that. Still need a bubbler.

And Miss M I get it now... just as an additive. That very well could be done then.

I can't remember what the maximum protein is for rabbits, but most feed is 16 - 18%. I think they start having some sort of health problems if it's too high. So duckweed is perfect as an additive.

Does anybody know if growing the duckweed in rabbit manure in water gives any danger of coccidia?

 

[MaggieJ]

Good question, Miss M... I was wondering the same thing. I think I would go for the organic fish-based fertilizer by preference, just to be sure.

I wonder how many of us will be setting up duckweed "gardens" for our critters?

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

Does anybody know if growing the duckweed in rabbit manure in water gives any danger of coccidia?

You make the manure tea separately-- then just add a smidgen to the water. Should not be any issue with cross contamination. Of course, if one heat dries the manure-- in an oven-- 120 degrees for about 1/2 hour-- the coccidia would be destroyed, while the nutrients in the bunny berries would remain intact. When using manure teas as a source of nutrients, one NEVER leaves the manure itself in the water-- just too polluting and yucky!!!

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I wonder how many of us will be setting up duckweed "gardens" for our critters?

:lol: I've already been wondering how I'm going to keep Basil and Levi out of the wading pool! :fishy:

 

[Iggysbabysitter]

Does anyone know the possible dangers of hydra? It's a waterbourne yeast-type creature, lives in the roots of duckweed and it attacks baby fish. Could it pose a threat to anything larger (like kits)? I doubt it. Drying it out did kill the hydra. I keep goldfish in my rainbarrel, and had considered duckweed a food for them.
I loved biology, but I haven't thought about this little creature since grade 9 :O
They are neat to observe, though Break out the microscope!

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

Hydra would be ingested by any wild animal drinking form a natural water source. The rabbit's digestive system would be very unfriendly to hydra-- you DO want to keep fresh animal waste- furred and feathered, out of the water, as giardia would be more of a concern.
hydra-- the ticks of the waterworld!

 

[GBov]

I have many containers of water in my back yard, one for water chestnuts, one for papirus, several for lillies..........

You get the idea :lol:

Each and every one has duckweek in it to keep the water cool and they all have mosquito fish to keep that little problem away too.

Up till now I have been taking handfulls out of each container weekly but now, its going to the animals!

Any idea how many tea spoons/tablespoons/cups of dried weed to feed to buns as a boost?