Lambs quarter?

[alforddm]

I hope this is lambs quarter I've been looking around for it and then bamm these two plants are right next to the rabbit cages.

 

[MaggieJ]

The plants with the white dusting on their youngest leaves look like lamb's quarters to me. I'm always a bit reluctant to ID plants from pictures, but in this case I don't see what else it could be.

I depend on a lot more than just appearance to ID plants for rabbits. Smell, texture, leaf positioning etc. are all part of it.

Lamb's quarters make excellent early season feed, when they are young and palatable. Once they "flower" I don't bother with them much. There is a distinct progression with weeds and I try to feed them at their seasonal best.

 

[markt1]

I have read that lambsquarter is very high in oxylates. Could be bad for kidney stones. Thoughts?

 

[MaggieJ]

Young lamb's quarters are an excellent forage green for rabbits in spring and early summer (and chickens and pigs . . . and presumably lambs )

Many weeds are best fed young and are high in nitrates, oxylates etc. later in the season. Plants that mature later or are safe throughout the growing season are better bets by the time you get to August/September.

The antique and vintage ebooks that we offer to members for five bunnybucks each are good sources of information about what to feed when. They may not explain the reasoning, but they are pretty trustworthy when it comes to actual advice. We are talking about word of mouth handed down through countless generations . . . and for me that counts for a lot more than quasi-scientific research by groups with an axe to grind in favour of processed foods.