6 trees to plant for poultry
These trees produce good poultry forage. Most can be 'chopped and dropped' for mulch, creating habitat for high-protein insects too.
Tagasaste
Also known as: tree lucerne, Chamaecytisus proliferus var palmensis, Cytisus proliferus
Soil: free-draining, can tolerate pH 5.0-7.5
Climate: hot, dry summers, wet winters, will tolerate frosts down to -10°C
Feed value: leaves 23-27% crude protein, low fibre
There are few trees as useful as tagasaste (pron. tag-a-sar-stay) if you have livestock. The leaves are highly nutritious, with a feed value similar to a ryegrass-white clover pasture and lucerne hay.
Tagasaste is a fast-growing, frosttolerant, nitrogen-fixing tree that can reach its full size in just three to four years.
It provides shelter, shade, and flowers from late autumn through to spring. Bees love its high-quality nectar and pollen.
The mature wood is excellent firewood, which burns very hot.
If pruned, it becomes a low shrub; if allowed to grow unchecked, it reaches 3-5m. It tends to form multiple, leafy stems, spreading out as it matures.
It's resistant to foliar diseases, and will quickly recover from complete defoliation.
Tagasaste's deep roots (down to 10m in good conditions) mean it's drought tolerant. Trials have shown it will put up with high moisture levels in soil but will die if its roots become waterlogged.
The foliage contains a high level of protein, vitamins, and minerals when grown in ideal conditions, but its nutritional value is lower in poorer soils.
There are a few drawbacks:
■ seedlings aren't frost-tolerant;
■ rabbits, hares, and possums often eat young plants, so they need protection;
■ it needs pruning to keep it bushy;
■ its lifespan is fairly short (15-18 years);
■ it can become invasive in some areas.
Also known as: Medicago arborea
Soil: rocky, light to heavy, free-draining
Climate: does well in hot, dry summers, suits coastal conditions, frost-tender, not cold hardy
Feed value: foliage is 18-20% protein, low fibre, high digestibility, more palatable when young
Tree medick is slow-growing compared to tagasaste, but also fixes nitrogen, and does well in tough soil conditions. It grows to about 2m x 2m and produces high protein, low fibre leaves.
Its beautiful, bright yellow flowers are strongly scented, similar to vanilla or sweet peas, and are a great food source for bees from late winter to mid-spring.
Tree medick is best harvested as feed (chopped and dropped) when stems are young (before they turn woody), and its nutritional value and palatability are at their highest. It also has large seeds that provide an extra food source for poultry.
Trials in NZ at the Ballantrae research farm (30 minutes north-east of Palmerston North) in 1989 showed it did not tolerate wet soil.
Other drawbacks: ■ not shade-tolerant; ■ susceptible to aphids; ■ slow-growing compared to other options, such as tagasaste.