quinoa for chickens

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Robbie
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quinoa for chickens

Post by Robbie » Fri Feb 26, 2016 9:14 pm

I was wondering if I can feed quinoa seeds dry and raw to chickens, as it comes from the bulk store, or should I cook it first? Will soaking do? Are the saponins going to be a problem for the chickens?

Best Answer by WLLady » Sat Feb 27, 2016 8:42 am
I honestly would only be concerned that it absorbs moisture so if eaten raw it could expand in the crop and if they eat lots it might impact like raw rice can...but quinoa is way smaller than rice.

If your quinoa tastes soapy rinse it before you cook it. It might help....it has a coating on it that some packers rinse off but others dont. It tastes soapy and nasty. I grew my own one year and didnt take the whole rinse it well thing to heart...i dont grow it any more-too labour intensive-but buy it now-prewashed lol

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SandyM
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quinoa for chickens

Post by SandyM » Sat Feb 27, 2016 7:08 am

As Baron would say, let them decide. Give them a bit raw and go from there?
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Flat Rock Farm
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quinoa for chickens

Post by Flat Rock Farm » Sat Feb 27, 2016 7:13 am

I have only given them cooked quinoa mixed with cooked ground beef. I do this only in the winter to give them some extra protein and serve it warm to them. They go nuts for it. I don't know about giving it to them uncooked???
Last edited by Flat Rock Farm on Sat Feb 27, 2016 4:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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WLLady
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quinoa for chickens

Post by WLLady » Sat Feb 27, 2016 7:31 am

I give them our leftovers-cooked...since it absorbs moisture like rice i prefer feeding cooked vs raw....but my birds go crazy over it.
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Robbie
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quinoa for chickens

Post by Robbie » Sat Feb 27, 2016 8:30 am

SandyM wrote:QR_BBPOST As Baron would say, let them decide. Give them a bit raw and go from there?
Just making sure it's OK raw, like beans are better cooked than raw, I don't know enough about Quinoa- except that I don't really like it. It always tastes soapy to me.
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Killerbunny
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quinoa for chickens

Post by Killerbunny » Sat Feb 27, 2016 8:32 am

I tried hemp seeds once. I thought it was gross and even the chooks rejected it - princesses!
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SandyM
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quinoa for chickens

Post by SandyM » Sat Feb 27, 2016 8:37 am

Personally I hate quinoa. It doesn't matter what you do to it I can't seem to take a likening for it. So I don't have any recommendations really. I just think if it has to be cooked I'm really not into it. I cook eggs for the chickens And on the really really really cold days they'll get some oatmeal, but more often then not they get their extra from me in its raw or natural form. They get oats with raisins, cranberries (halved), blueberries and corn with some turmeric on it, mixed in a bowl. Not cooked. They LOVE IT.

But I also don't feed any beans or stuff like that.
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WLLady
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quinoa for chickens

Post by WLLady » Sat Feb 27, 2016 8:42 am

I honestly would only be concerned that it absorbs moisture so if eaten raw it could expand in the crop and if they eat lots it might impact like raw rice can...but quinoa is way smaller than rice.

If your quinoa tastes soapy rinse it before you cook it. It might help....it has a coating on it that some packers rinse off but others dont. It tastes soapy and nasty. I grew my own one year and didnt take the whole rinse it well thing to heart...i dont grow it any more-too labour intensive-but buy it now-prewashed lol
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SandyM
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quinoa for chickens

Post by SandyM » Sat Feb 27, 2016 8:46 am

I winder if soaking it over night would allow it to absorb water. Quinoa is actually a fruit, not a grain like most people think, so it's molecular structure is easily altered when cooked. Perhaps cooking it alters its nutritional value?
I have a feeling JimW is going to jump in and correct my molecular structure theory.
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Robbie
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quinoa for chickens

Post by Robbie » Sat Feb 27, 2016 9:20 am

WLLady wrote:QR_BBPOST I honestly would only be concerned that it absorbs moisture so if eaten raw it could expand in the crop and if they eat lots it might impact like raw rice can...but quinoa is way smaller than rice.

If your quinoa tastes soapy rinse it before you cook it. It might help....it has a coating on it that some packers rinse off but others dont. It tastes soapy and nasty. I grew my own one year and didnt take the whole rinse it well thing to heart...i dont grow it any more-too labour intensive-but buy it now-prewashed lol
Soaked it, changed the cooking water three times, still soapy! This was the red Quinoa from Bulk barn. I like amaranth better (except for the grit, I hate grit in my food- ) but it's not a complete protein source like Quinoa. I'm trying the different colours of seeds to see if there is any difference between the white and darker varieties. Sigh.
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