Out of curiosity - can this pond weed be fed to livestock ?

[Speedo1968]

I have been in farming in different countries since 1960 and have used various "wild" plants for feeding livestock.
The pond in the photo is a fresh water pond ( probably from soil being excavated for building purposes many years ago).   Deepest part is around 5 - 7 metres.   It borders a keep fit park built 5 years ago.
The water is pumped for feeding livestock and watering gardens in a school next to the park.
No waste water from the farm or school is allowed / does flow in to the pond.
A few cows were allowed to graze.    A few dogs enjoy chase.
The pond had various grasses, algae and flowers.  In the dry season only a small area remained with water a few metres wide.    When the rains arrive the ponds fish and frogs etc returned.

The winds across the pond used to circulate throughout the day leaving patterns of algae on the surface.    Now much of the plant life remains in place.

In September 2019 the area flooded for the first time in about 50 years.      Some areas more than 4 metres.

In 2020 weeds as seen in the photos began to appear, the grass area had diminished.    I had not seen in the local area fields before.
The photos show the extent of the weed to date.    The weed puts out tendrils and forms a mat below the surface.

Although I retired a few years ago I still look at such things around me.    My question - at last is - can this type of weed be fed to livestock or if not known would it be worth checking at an agricultural Uni etc. ?     In the dry season, even now after some rain, this area farmers struggle to find fodder for their cows or buffalo.

I often wonder why "green fodder" is not grown on even small farms to supplement feedstuffs in the dry season.

 

[2 is 1]

If can use to fed buffalo etc. Thai really do that already! When i have been "fishing" whit guys they always pull of that green stuff and throw it away. They fishing whit fishnet and needed to get all vegetation off.

[Crossy]

Yeah, family would pull anything green off the pond and let it dry for a few days before giving it to anything that would eat it (pigs, buffalo, geese, chang).

 

[kickstart]

It can be feed to cattle ,but if they will eat it is a different matter ,and if they did eat it would be a poor  quality feed ,no weight gain at all ,as has been said buffalo might chew on a bit .

If they is any morning glory in the pond Pac Boong in Thai ,that can be feed to pigs .

[tifino]

just hope there's no toxic algae amongst it - BlueGreen etc etc 

[IsaanAussie]

The small fern like plant looks like Azolla which is very high protein. Two others, duck weed and water lettuce are also rich in nutrients. They can all be feed to your animals. I advise you research how much to give each animal or bird, and what preparation if any you should do. I have fed water lettuce to pigs in the past.

As a general rule use the new plants in preference to the larger, older ones.

[Speedo1968]

2 hours ago, IsaanAussie said:

The small fern like plant looks like Azolla which is very high protein. Two others, duck weed and water lettuce are also rich in nutrients. They can all be feed to your animals. I advise you research how much to give each animal or bird, and what preparation if any you should do. I have fed water lettuce to pigs in the past.

As a general rule use the new plants in preference to the larger, older ones.

Many thanks for your comments and advice.
I must explain that I am no longer in farming having retired about 8 years ago, my last stint ( 10 years ) here in Thailand as a freelance consultant to a Thai company.     Previous locations have been Saudi, Kuwait, Cyprus, India, UK, Netherlands.   Much of it with chicken and ducks.  Also my own small farm in South America back in the 70's.

My first job on a farm in 1960 was with free range pigs that spent much of the year out in oak forests and fields.

My mention / question about "green fodder" was because it may be of use here in the dry season.
By "green fodder" I mean that is grown undercover from seed and now being grown in adapted 20 foot containers.     





Thanks for possible recognition of fern like plant, it certainly looks to be a high protein plant.
 

[IsaanAussie]

One option is to use the water plants in your compost, high nitrogen source. You can also spread it out over bare ground as a mulch layer to protect the soil. It will dry to a much smaller volume and can be incorporated into the soil before you plant rice or other crops. Some people introduce azolla into rice fields after flooding. It provides a source of nitrogen to the crop and prevents weeds getting established.

Biggest problem.... getting it out of the pond. Back breaking job without some form of equipment. AND most of that stuff grows back very fast. 

 

Edited March 17, 2021 by IsaanAussie

[moose7117]

Cattle can certainly be fed this weed once !

Weather they live to eat it again is another matter.

[kickstart]

5 hours ago, moose7117 said:

Cattle can certainly be fed this weed once !

Weather they live to eat it again is another matter.

Wrong ,cattle can eat pond weed plants and plants from streams and rivers , I regularly   see it done it on my travels .

FYI. The two main poisonous  plants for cattle in Thailand are Sorghum and Cassava leaves ,both contain prussic acid.

Sorgum when the plant is young, and when it is stressed ,as in a drought ,and what Thai's call Khow Fang Pee ,Sorgum that grows beside the road, and in  ditches, they can be fatal to cattle .

But cassava leaves when dried is good cattle feed 25 % protein .  

[Speedo1968]

22 hours ago, IsaanAussie said:

One option is to use the water plants in your compost, high nitrogen source. You can also spread it out over bare ground as a mulch layer to protect the soil. It will dry to a much smaller volume and can be incorporated into the soil before you plant rice or other crops. Some people introduce azolla into rice fields after flooding. It provides a source of nitrogen to the crop and prevents weeds getting established.

Biggest problem.... getting it out of the pond. Back breaking job without some form of equipment. AND most of that stuff grows back very fast. 

 

OP - Many interesting comments - thank you.

I can't see the pond drying out this year, the weed has prevented water evaporation from most parts of the pond.       It seems to have it's own micro environment due to the location and surrounding land area.
The flooding in 2019 also changed plant cover in adjoining rice fields and unclaimed land, types of sandy soils now support more weeds than grasses, where there was once wild mushrooms and freshwater shrimp in certain seasons is now weeds.

[JungleBiker]

You didn't provide a close up photo of the plant but I think it is water mimosa.... 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptunia_oleracea (Thai names are given)

https://avrdc.org/water-mimosa-neptunia-oleracea/

 

It is eaten raw as a vegetable.

It's a nitrogen-fixing legume. 

 

For aquatic forage plants, this website does not include water mimosa but does include several others that are easy to find in Thailand: https://www.feedipedia.org/content/feeds?category=13587

 

 

 

 

[Outbackoz]

Probably something you have thought about already, but if not  is the prevalence of Fasciola (Fluke, in particular liver fluke) in pasture and ponds  in tropical areas. Primary host generally being cattle with other  susceptible  hosts being being   horses, sheep goats deer and rabbits. apart from liver fluke (Fasciola Hepatica) there is also Fasciola Gigantica which can be transmitted to humans and is quite common.