Ornamental Or Edible?

[dipence71]

I was given some seeds and wanted to know if they were purely ornamental or if they were ok for chickens rabbits to eat?


Foxtail Millet (is this millet people can eat?)

Tender Fountain Grass

Blue Gramma Grass

Ravenna grass

Feathertop

Canary Grass

Blue Fescue

Pearl Grass Red Spire

Hare's Tail Grass


Thanks in advance.

 

[digitS']

"It is better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." Okay, with that at risk - I'll say something.

I only know something about the foxtail millet, Dipence. It is what you can buy at the pet shop as "spray millet" for caged birds. I have grown a little in the garden for the last 6 or 7 years.

It is possible that ALL varieties of millet have been used somewhere and at sometime for human food. I believe the archeological record shows that millet was one of the 1st grains in cultivation. It is, however, probably pearl millet that you can find in the food store.

Except for maybe the canary grass, the other grasses are, I think, ornamentals.

Steve
possibly, I believe, probably, maybe, I think

 

[dipence71]

Thanks for the info.
I know Aramanthus Love Lies Bleeding , is sold as ornamental but is food quality. (from reading Wifezilla's posts LOL.)

 

[patandchickens]

Not a whole lot of poisonous grasses in the world, except some that can have cyanogenic compounds in relatively-low am'ts under some growing conditions (reed canarygrass, johnsongrass -- tho google sez there is a poisonous arrowgrass in the Western US that can be fairly strongly toxic under some conditions), or endophytes that can bother some sensitive systems e.g. pregnant females (fescues), or sharp bits that can be mechanically-irritating.

That said, the bottom line IMO about grass species safety/toxicity for horses, and I would expect this to apply to rabbits as well, is that there is not a lot of *good* research on it, and for the species that *are* well researched, there is a large "it depends" element. For instance johnsongrass can be toxic in some situations, and good pasture or hay in other situations.

So I don't know what to tell you, you can google each species individually but in the end you are probably going to have to make up your own mind about your personal ideas of risk tolerance.

Btw, DON'T PLANT THOSE CANARYGRASS SEEDS!! Even if it is the less-vigorous variegated (striped) form. It is one of the worst grasses for spreading both by (vigorous, brittle, ineradicable) runners AND by seed.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[thistlebloom]

dipence, Pats warning about the not planting the canary grass is good advice if it's Phalaris arundinacea,aka reed canary grass. There is another canary grass, Phalaris canariensis which is grown as a feed for birds (canaries, naturally ), it can also be used for human consumption, but don't ask me how. The difference in the two species is marked, so it's best to know precisely which one you have.
That's the trouble with common names... :/

eta- ( Steve that's one of my favorite quotes!)

 

[hoodat]

I consulted my rabbit and this is what she said.
Millet - yum with or without seed heads. She especially likes the seed heads when they're still green.
Gramma grass - all types are highly nutritious. Cattlemen love it. It's one of our native grasses the buffalo grazed on.
Fescue is good but the nutrition varies a lot throughout the year.
Fountain grass she nibbled at then turned it down.
The others I'm not sure about.