Poultry Talk Ontario (pto.ca)

I get a white quinoa from costco. But its pricey...way more than bulk barn. I only buy it at costco because we are there every so often and bulk barn - well i have peanut allergies and they have unpackaged peanuts...i just dont risk it....so cant say i have any experience with bulk barn quinoa. When i grew it i actually had to put vinegar in the first rinse to get this sticky coating to break up. I put the grain in a nylon stocking and then rubbed the grains hard-the water would get bubbly and it would coat my hands....i rewashed in 3 more changes of warm water (no vinegar) and then spread on a cookie sheet to dry....some of mine would sprout in the drying process overnight annoyingly. I survived growing 100 feet of the stuff-2 50 foot rows. I will never grow it again...got about a half bushel of grain all told a lot dropped on the ground...and washing it took an hour or so hard concerted effort for each maybe 1/4 pound....definitely annoying. I did try just cooking without the wash....oh yuck....and it left some residue in my pot that needed steel wool to get off.

The white variety has a milder flavor, it's my son's favorite breakfast so it's a staple at our house and really good for you. Chickens like it on the off chance the get some as leftovers.....I don't soak, just rince in a mesh strainer for 3 minutes. Pretty expensive treat for chickens though isn't it?

It's a relative of amaranth and pig weed. I let the pig weed go to seed around here because the turkeys love it and head straight for the seed heads when they're out. It's amazing how many weeds like this are actually essential feed sources for wildlife and we often ignore them their potential as feed sources (limited I know) for our own livestock.
So, since birds tend to eat these sorts of things raw, not sure why you need to cook/soak them unless the bird needs extra tlc. Plus, the stuff is so darned expensive, unless it's leftovers it would be the last thing I'd feed mine lol!

Super expensive thats for sure!! Only leftovers (if there are any) for my birds. Oh the year i grew it and dropped lots harvesting either the free rangers never found it or they didnt like it. Because it all started growing...thankfully its not frost hardy or i dont think i would ever have gotten rid of it.

You're right about quinoa being very nutritious, but I have to agree that it's pretty expensive chicken feed, so my hens only get the leftovers if there's not enough to freeze for another meal. It freezes well, and it's handy to have when you want a meal made quickly.
One thing that might make your quinoa taste less soapy or bitter is to use hot water when you are rinsing it in a sieve prior to cooking. That's what I do, and never have a bitter or soapy end result. Also, as others have stated in their posts, white quinoa does have a milder taste.

Thanks everyone, I think that Quinoa will probably be off the menu once I get rid of what I have. It's in the too much effort category. But I will try to cultivate lambs quarters, free and easy!

My chickens love Lambs Quarters. I don't even have to plant it

I'm going to have to find some of that, I'm sure it's growing somewhere!

Robbie wrote:QR_BBPOST I'm going to have to find some of that, I'm sure it's growing somewhere!

You won't have to look far- it grows almost everywhere much to the disgust of commercial farmers who pay a lot to get rid of it!!

I'll have to transplant some before it get sprayed. Probably though, it won't grow for me because I want it to grow