Air Meadows - Food for Free Part 9 - Pollarding and Pruning Tree Fodder (Part 2)

In part one of this article we looked at the rich heritage of tree fodder and how it had been used as a form of arboricultural farming for many thousands of years. In this article I want to look at the practice in detail with reference to the choice of individual species, their nutritional value and their suitability as fodder and medicinals for both poultry and other livestock. If you haven't read part One you can find it here.

Below, one of my quail snacking on the first flush of hornbeam. I noticed that the quail preferred to eat the flower buds of the tree first. When I consulted the detailed nutritional breakdown of hornbeam from the  European Data Base, this gave me some insights into why that might be but more of this below.

 

The 17th century English Agricultural author,  John Worlidge encouraged the planting of trees to be pollarded in hedgerows: 

 

‘For Ash, Elm, Poplar, Willow, and fuch Trees that are quick of growth, it is a very great profit that is made of them where Fewel is fcarce, by planting them in Hedge-rows, and other fpare places, and fhrouding them at five, fix, eight or ten years growth; they constantly bear a good head, and every time whilft the tree is in proof, the fhrouds increafe. They are out of the danger of the bite of Cattle, and require no fence’ (1669: 126).'

In France, many rural hedges still contain both ancient and newly planted pollards, now mostly for fuel rather than fodder, although this practice of using leaf fodder is now coming back with the growth of smallscale organic farming and permaculture. Pictured below in the background is a chateau driveway of ancient pollarded poplar, with a hedge of relatively new mixed deciduous pollards in the foreground field. Note the large tell-tale callouses or 'boilings' on the ancient poplars.

 

 

Tree Species Suitable for Pollarding or Pruning for Fresh Fodder or Tree Hay

I have avoided my natural aversion to pollarding  by simply just pruning my trees for immediate consumption. That way I don't have to be haunted by gnarled fingers but can still supply my poultry with nutritious and  readily-available forage. In a forest garden this is an absolute boon as I have no grass available for immediate consumption or of course, for hay. Any grass I have has to be brought in from neighbours' meadows and with the present increase in homesteading and food production, these 'set asides' are getting less and less common. It is worth remembering, in their wild forms, poultry rarely forage in open grass lands, they live in jungles and other wooded areas. It is also worth noting that many present day grass-fed livestock such as cattle, for example, started life as swamp and woodland dwellers, which is probably why the Neolithic farmers carried on the practice of silviculture and air meadows.

 

Throughout the centuries trees used and seen as excellent fodder crops in Europe were:

• alder, Alnus glutinosa
• ash, Fraxinus excelsior
• aspen Populus tremula
• beech, Fagus sylvatica
• elm, Ulmus minor
  
• hazel, Corylus avellana
• hornbeam, Carpinus betulus (pictured below pruned by the poultry!)
  
• poplar, Populus
• white hawthorn, Crataegus punctata (below left)
  
• willow, Salix
  

with 

• sweet chestnut, Castanea sativa and oak, Quercus robur mixed in with other leaves

That said specific countries, such as Norway, for example include other favourites, which they still use to this day such as:

• goat willow, Salix caprea
• pine Pinus
  
• rowan, Sorbus aucuparia

Depending on your climate and native (or well-established) species of trees there are so many options to choose from when planning to grow these valuable forage crops. Researching of your local farming history should lead you to the best varieties to choose. I include below just a few examples from outside European and similar climate zones (such as parts of the USA and Canada), however, it would be really useful if you could share any experience or knowledge of good choices for trees for poultry, in the comment section, as those species included below are general livestock forages.

African small livestock farmers for example, have for centuries fed forage on a 'wild browse' basis rather than specifically cultivated leaves for such. The continent has nearly 10.000 species of trees of which 75% are suitable for livestock feeding. Just a few examples of trees popular in arboriculture for use in this respect being:

• gum arabic (Acacia senegal)
• whistling thorn (Acacia seyal)
• yeheb nut (Cordeauxia edulis) 

A few examples popular in Central America

• hairy stamen leadtree (Leucaena trichandra)
• red calliandra (Calliandra calothyrsu)
  
• wild tamarind (Leucaena diversifolia) 

The above are just a straw poll garnered from the net but I've included some links below to useful sites.

 

Poultry Specific Air Meadows?

My answer to this is; observation. With a forest garden we already have a good mix of trees both native and exotic to provide a smörgåsbord of leaves, flowers and fruit as potential fodder. We also have some prolific climbers, (more of the latter in a future post) and which are certainly part of the canopy and thus the air meadow. My philosophy has always been that poultry know more about what they should be eating than humans ever will. So I let them get on with it. By noting what is readily consumed at browse height, such as rose bush leaves, beech and hornbeam, I know their preferences. Just by watching what is and conversely what isn't, consumed when pruning, also informs me on my birds' choices in leaf fodder. For example wild clematis (above top) is prolific in leaf production and I was very gratified to find my hens eating them with gusto from the prunings.

 

Below: photograph of a quick walk around the garden looking for 'Nibble Test at Browse Height' evidence of what is and what isn't to the taste of our poultry.

 

 

Tree Fodder Zero Waste

 

After the birds have eaten the leaves, buds and any other bits they fancy the twigs are then left to dry and later used in our rocket stove from which we get hot coffee and food and on a cold day (or even a hot one) under which the chickens like to 'sunbathe'.

Nutritional Value

In my previous article on the subject of leaf fodder, I actually went into quite some detail as to the nutritional value of leaves such as hornbeam and beech and you can find this linked in the related articles below.  Listed at the end of this article you can also find an incredibly useful resource: European Data Base which you can use for the trees existing on your land or to give you an idea of those that would be useful fodder. Below is a screen shot of just a small part of the data sampling at various times of year for the first tree in my list - alder (Alnus glutinosa). This, to give you an idea of how useful this rich resource can be when planning your air meadow. You can also set certain parameters within the search to look at specific food values, which can inform your choice of tree or shrub.

There is also a link below to a Tropical Tree Forages List and the Forage Trees of Nepal which includes nutritional breakdowns and traditional uses. It is interesting to note also that in some countries there are still communal forests where livestock can be fed tree fodder and where branches can be cut for tree hay.

 

Tree Fodder as a Medicinal

Researching this subject you quickly realise that trees have a long and worldwide history of uses in medicine from heart treatments (hawthorn) and anti-inflammatory properties (Ash and Alder) to anti-bacterial (Beech) and painkilling properties (Willow). I've already mentioned sheep self-medicating for parasites, and seemingly it is the high tannin oak leaves that they choose. If you look at the uses of tree leaves in tisanes or herbal teas, again you will find a wide range of properties from poultices to the treatment of respiratory conditions. As always I observe my poultry to see what they are consuming at any given time of year because often tree leaves provide vitamins and minerals that may be lacking or scarce in other forages. For example pine needles contain a high amount of vitamin C, which is one of the first vitamins to be lost when the body is under stress (such as is caused by extremes of temperature), I have seen my poultry pecking at the needles in Winter and at the new growth pine buds in early Spring.

 

Small Scale Air Meadows - Maximising your vertical growing space

The other consideration in growing trees for your poultry is to remember that many of them produce not just leaves which are edible but also blossoms and fruit. However, the leaves of certain fruit trees, in particular stone fruit are viewed with caution, as in some of the literature, I have read they are considered toxic. I've found varying and contradictory reports on this however.  I've even seen peach leaves mentioned as toxic and here in North Western France we make peach leaf wine. Conversely I've seen elderberry and mulberry mentioned as suitable forages but my birds will touch neither. So before you plant consider both searching for hands-on testimony and the 'Nibble test' and seek out some sample foliage.

 

One example of an incredibly valuable 'multi-forage' tree in our garden is Amelanchier or Serviceberry also known Saskatoon, an anglicisation of the Cree; misâskwatômina, meaning 'the fruit of the tree of many branches'. Mixed with tallow the dried berries, makes an incredible Winter survival food and as such was highly prized by the First Nations. It also has the advantage of being a very pretty tree both in blossom and in leaf, although you do not get the full idea from my image captured yesterday of the last few remaining petals.

 

My birds, love its petals, they eat every single one that drops to the earth and if it wasn't for the thorny Kiftsgate rose growing through it, I'm sure they would be up the tree snacking on them up there. The blackbirds however often beat both the chickens and ourselves to a major share of the berries. It's always a good gauge of the value of a plant when such fierce competition occurs.  The foliage is a fodder crop both for wild deer, rabbits and livestock. 

Amelanchier has not only nutritional benefits but it has been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years. It is particularly prized for its  antioxidants, specifically phenolics, flavonols and anthocyanins, with the latter at a higher level than most other berry fruits. This however is just one example, use the links provided to check for more possibilities!

 

Here's the film:

 

As already expressed my intention is to continue this theme with a look at harvesting tree hay for poultry (this will be in June), before then however, another article in this series will look at climbing plants for air meadows. 

Thanks for dropping by and do feel free to share experiences or ask for further information in the comment section. If you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it with your family and friends, on social media and also maybe about joining this blog and/or subscribing to my Youtube channel or even supporting us on Patreon or

It all helps to keep me going!

Until next time, all the very best from sunny Normandie! 

Sue

 

© 2021 Sue Cross

REFERENCES

John Worlidge: A compleat system of husbandry and gardening; or, the gentleman's companion, in the business and pleasures of a country life. ... The whole collected from, and containing what is most valuable in all the books hitherto written upon this subject; ..

Pollarding Trees: Changing Attitudes to a Traditional Land Management Practice in Britain 1600–1900

Online fodder tree database for Europe - Nutritional Values 

Tropical Forages List 

Fodder trees for improving livestock productivity and smallholder livelihoods in Africa 

James Main: The Forest Planter and Pruner's Assistant: being a practical treatise on the management of the native and exotic forest trees commonly cultivated in Great Britain.. 

Fodder Trees of the Nepal Hills 

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Bare Roots - Creating food forest layers, maximum plantings for minimum cost.

When I was thinking about how to design and plant our garden and see it grow from the rough field and limited top soil stage, one of my first considerations was that we were going to spend most of our waking hours in it.  As this house and garden were bought as a long-term escape plan and because we were working and living in a town constantly surrounded by noise, our basic initial requirement was privacy and tranquillity,  a wild forest garden seemed perfect. 

Once we began to live here permanently and eventually to keep poultry, the natural environment it provided to do this, along with the addition of forage provided by the trees and plants became ever more valuable.

Transformation and Transmogrification - Open field to food forest garden

We also love to eat outside, so the idea of being surrounded by trees, plants and wildlife (at this point we had no poultry) was also a major consideration. (We had to replace the tiles of the house as a result of the 1999 tempest so the greenery also did a great job of removing the glare of modernity.)

One of my favourite memories of my childhood was of playing in the small woodland on our own farm or dreaming about the vast mediaeval forest on the neighbouring one.  The silence of woodland and forest is something you either love or hate, there is no middle ground. It is for that very understanding of the human psyche, that the word panic derives from the fear of the forest sprite, the Greek god Pan. He is supposed to have rustled leaves of bushes and forest vegetation as travellers passed through his domain, engendering irrational fears and flight! Having eaten many an evening meal by candlelight in the middle of trees and long grass surrounded by gangs of marauding hedgehogs, snorting wildly and crunching up snails, I can empathise.

The Canopy and Sub-Canopy

We started out to create the canopy and sub-canopy or as Gertrude Jekyll, would refer to it the 'carpentry' of the garden. I was working on the principle of beginning at the top and working down. The canopy was the part of the garden that would need the longest time to establish itself and in an open field with clay soil, was imperative for soil structure, drainage and shade. Initially I had very little knowledge of our present climate and growing potential of the soil, so I chose the best possible size of specimens for our budget. Although, with greater experience of the land and microclimate and thus its possibilities, we realised that growing the sub-canopy and even the canopy from seed and/or cuttings was quite viable. We also visited an Ecocampsite down in the Lot, where they had a much younger garden than ours but with beautiful large specimen trees and bamboo. We were advised that the holes for planting were dug with a small mechanical digger. So if you are building a house on site at the same time as establishing your garden and have access to machinery or better still, a large group of friends, you might think of this valuable tip of digging a huge receiving hole for the roots. You can do this and even fill in the holes with loose soil and compost until such time as you are ready to plant.

Bare Roots

 

Unless you are very young and only looking to live in your forest garden in your dotage, time is of the essence and the good news is, faster growing forms of plants are cheaper! Bare rooted refers to plants that are grown in the open and then dug up for sale, when dormant from late Autumn to early Spring. For this reason they can be also sent by carrier, so your choice of varieties, quality and price is much wider. I've always found bare roots to to be stronger and quicker to take off when replanted. This is because they are not suffering from lack of nutrient nor pot bound as large subjects can become in containers. Some of the main plants we have bought this way, are roses, fruit bushes, trees, including hedging. In the past and in order to build up a good number, we hoarded 'Birthday' money and gave trees as presents to each other. 

Warning: when we lived in the UK, I used to see a particularly fine tree in our local nursery and reserve it for Andy until such time as we were leaving for France. On going back to fetch it I would often find it had grown rather larger than expected. This beautiful Betula utilis var. 'jacquemontii' aka the Himalayan birch (above) and this gorgeously rich Prunus serrula var. tibetica aka birch-bark or Tibetan cherry (right) had to be wound around the foot well and entwined around my feet to reach their destination. Furthermore don't worry if you think something is in the wrong place, if you are careful, you can move even quite large trees. The Italian white peach (above top) moved three times before it was happy enough with its soil and aspect to produce a good crop. 

Some of the  first plants we bought to create our garden were a parcel of bare root roses from Norfolk, these included a selection known as the Empress Joséphine collection. Some of these were for the canopy and some for lower levels and ground cover. These we hauled over from the UK on the back of our motorbike. It might seem, as the name suggests, coals to Newcastle but at the time France was still in the dying throws of the equivalent of 'Wheatcroft fever'. This meant that all that was on offer in roses were, to me, bright, blowsy modern hybrid teas with no scent and precious little value for food or to a wild garden. Above are a selection of the best culinary and medicinal roses, rosa.galica officinalis or the Apothecary Rose (centre right with the golden stamens) lives up to its name. It makes fabulous ice cream and I have used rose petals to make rose water, which I have applied to great effect in eye baths and compresses (see my article on treating eye problems with rosewater here).

Rambling Rector (above) was another of my choices, a beautiful double rambler, seen here growing through another great culinary rose, the Bourbon, Zigeuner Knabe. Then of course there is the fabulous rosa. filipes 'Kiftsgate' (below) which gives your forest garden canopy the Sissinghurst touch.

Our hens love roses, leaves and petals and apple blossom, many flowers from trees and shrubs are actually a valuable and freely available source of good wild nutrition for you and your birds and luckily most of the time the latter will be content to eat them as they fall. In fact many of the trees we have planted, have provided extra nutrient for our birds, whether wild or domesticated. Our Amelanchier (Serviceberry), for example, (taken bare rooted from a friend's garden), the hens eat every petal as they drop, we never get a beautiful white carpet from it as we do from the apple orchard.

Furthermore, although we eat the petals and hips of our roses we also had additional food value from them in honey, as my neighbour who has hives bought us down a kilo of his harvest in recognition of the food we had provided for his bees.

Our other major bare-root purchases  were hedging beech and hornbeam, most necessary here as wind and weather protection from the wild sea breezes. Building up a series of hedges in a garden provides not only a series of garden 'rooms', this might seem formal for a forest garden. However, by its very nature, food forest gardens have no blueprint as such, each one being unique to the individual gardener. 

To me hedges give a wonderful sense of space and discovery as you travel through a garden, they also provide a fantastic safe habitat for wildlife and of course nesting for birds. Hens love hedges too, in the Early Spring and Summer they will use them as corridors, 'grazing' on the nutritious leaves and  roosting high up in them to catch a sea breeze during the heat of the day. I also use strategic hedging to break up flight paths for marauding birds of prey, which is exceedingly necessary if you have pigeons, particularly white fantails and free-ranging tiny chicks.

Hedges also, of course, are very important for protecting poultry from the rain. Although in the case of these two chamois Polish brothers, lowering their frizzled plumage, whilst standing between the current bushes and the beech hedges seems to do just as well.






The next part of this series will look at building up the canopy and sub-canopy as well as the other layers of your food forest,  from seeds and cuttings.
 

Thanks for dropping by and if you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it and also may be about joining this blog. Please also feel free to ask questions or make comments in the section below.
All the very best,
Sue
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©  Sue Cross 2015