Question about Dandelion greens

[Kristen]

I read an article saying that dandelion greens were an awesome and nutritious food. Is there any special preparation that I should do before I offer them to a bird? Other than making sure they're clean and bug/pesticide free, of course. I just thought it would be wonderfully convenient to have such a wonderfood growing right in my backyard...

[jamieo]

Not really, aside from making sure they are clean and free of any potentially hazardous chemicals, there is nothing more you need to do. I don't have a source of chemical free dandelions so I have never given any to my birds.

[NapoleonUWS]

My canaries used to love dandelion greens... can't get my parrotlets to touch it!

[The Outlaw]

I harvest dandelion greens from my own front yard. I never use any chemicals of any kind on my lawn. Frankly, I could care less about my lawn. I'd rather have a field of dandelions!

You can also freeze them and dehydrate them. If you dry them, just toss them in with the seed mix. Like everything else new, you have to keep on trying when want to convert your birds. Try fresh first, then you can even sweat them in a fry pan with a little water until they wilt. That's the way my birds like them best.

[Dustin]

By greens you mean the leaves right? Off of wild dandelions?
I have never heard of this!

[Monica]

Flowers and leaves! Quite good for birds! Heck, that's the first thing other than seeds I was able to get Tom to eat! Of course then again she hardly had ANY of it, but at least it was SOMETHING! I gave her the flower and stem.

[Kachina]

I'll have to get some pictures of my yard for you before I mow today, Outlaw.

I go out weekly before I get out the mower and pick a bag of the greens. I wash them with a GSE solution, dry them well in a salad spinner, then vacuum pack them for safekeeping in the birdie freezer. My canaries ADORE these, just fresh and whole clipped to the side of their cages. My GC only eats them when they are chopped into her kitchen sink food.

The flowers can be fed as well.

[felisdomesticus]

my BF is obsessed with our lawn so I would never dare to feed her any of the dandelions from our yard.

I buy mine from the grocery store, wash, chop, and serve. Scarlett loves them!

[MJMette]

dandelions are definitely a favorite