Are chia greens a safe forage to feed?

Post Reply
User avatar
goosey1019

Post   » Wed Sep 22, 2021 1:55 pm


I've been growing various things in my garden this year, which the pigs have mostly been enjoying (the carrot tops and parsley are definitely the favorites). Because I was curious, I planted about a teaspoon's worth of chai seeds (the kind you buy at the grocery store to make chia seed pudding with) in a pot. They've grown into some nice little microgreens. Does anyone know if these are safe for cavies to eat?

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Sep 22, 2021 11:24 pm


Have you searched for a nutritional analysis in the USDA database? This would be a reasonable way of assessing nutrition.

They do report the possibility of salmonella.
https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/newport-05-14/index.html

User avatar
goosey1019

Post   » Thu Sep 23, 2021 12:28 pm


So I couldn't find a good breakdown of the nutritional info, but they are definitely safe and healthy for humans to eat. The general nutritional info was:
Vitamins A, B, C, and E
Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Niacin, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc
Chlorophyll, Amino Acids
Antioxidants
Protein: 20-25%

From what I'm seeing they do seem to be fairly high in calcium, so not good in large quantities for pigs, I'd think.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Sep 23, 2021 10:58 pm


It would be helpful if they had more precise info on calcium. I am sure as an occasional treat they should be okay (I imagine you would not make this a regular large part of their diet).

User avatar
Renonvsparky

Post   » Mon Oct 18, 2021 2:51 am


I didn't want to start a new thread and my question is related to this topic. Have any of you tried this stuff on your guinea pigs? Is there anything listed in it that they shouldn't have? It's supposed to be for rabbits, hamsters and guinea pigs, but there are many products out there which say that and it isn't true.

Image

Image

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Oct 18, 2021 8:04 am


Guinea pigs may pick and choose, resulting in a lopsided "analysis" intake. No calcium is noted. I see at least four ingredients (there may be more) that might be limited in the diets of any guinea pig prone to stones: Alfalfa, dandelion, parsley, and clover.

Maize is corn. Two sources of corn, not particularly nutritious. Keep in mind the items are listed (supposedly) from highest percentage to lowest percentage.

It sounds like they are throwing "good sounding" items at the wall and trying to get people to feed it to their pet.

Post Reply