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Amaranth for Feed?

 
Posts: 16
Location: Missouri
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I was wondering if anyone has given livestock Amaranth to them as feed and if so how does it do as a feed depending on the stock it's fed to. I'm planning on growing some soon and wondered if it'll do good in this manner.
 
pollinator
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My chickens aren't too keen on it. But I fed them the greens, and not the seed heads.
 
Posts: 142
Location: Missoula, Montana (zone 4)
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Google Kathy Voth. She can get her cattle to eat knapweed & may be worth reaching out to. Invite her to join us on these forums. I know her insight & experience will be much appreciated. Here is a short video clip giving some idea of the process.
 
Posts: 138
Location: Galicia, Spain Zone 9
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My goats love the flower heads and the leaves. From what I understand, it takes some frosts for them to die. This is my first year growing them and so far they are still alive and haven't really changed since the flower heads emerged. In a mild climate you might not even have to harvest and store them. You might be able to rotate livestock in and out of patches of amaranth, which I think would grow back during the warmer months. Just a thought.
 
Posts: 174
Location: Berea, Kentucky
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Sheep will eat everything but the stalk.
 
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Here is an interesting study on it:

"Nutritive value of conserved maize, amaranth or maize-amaranth mixture as dry season fodder for growing West African Dwarf sheep
O A Olorunnis" - http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd22/10/olor22191.htm
 
Steward of piddlers
Posts: 6215
Location: Upstate NY, Zone 5, 43 inch Avg. Rainfall
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I have grown amaranth densely in places where I have gaps in my soil. I have found that my chickens tolerate it for forage quite well when picked young. I have read that there is potential for the plant to contain anti-nutrients but allegedly these can be mitigated through drying.
 
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