mulberry tree berries?

[mudhen]

I just noticed that what I believe is a mulberry tree now has little white berries dropping into the run and the girls are just loving them.

This is OK, right? (I don't see mulberry listed in the toxic plant list, but not sure it is a mulberry...

Is is a mulberry tree?- duh, dumb question without a picture- so how about: do mulberry trees have white berries?

I told you all I was a purple thumb...sign me clueless in botany...

 

[Whirlwind]

Yes mulberries are ok. At least mine have been eating them for what seems like more than a month with no bad signs that I can tell. I just wish they could eat more. We have a bumper crop this year.

 

[mudhen]

Thank you!
That's a big 'whew!'! I know that generally animals know what not to eat instinctually, but .. you never know.

 

[Hellebore]

When I was a kid we had a very large "barnyard" with 1 black mulberry tree and 1 white mulberry tree. Chickens, ducks and geese ate them all day long with no ill effects. I am talking about the huge mulberry trees that are grown for shade and fruit. They are just a regular fruit.

 

[mudhen]

There is two that I know of now... the white mulberry I assume refers to the white berries?
Cuz I have a really humongous tree in the dog yard that has dark berries (black mulberry I am guessing)

I luv BYC! Get to learn new stuff every day!!!!!

 

[Rosalind]

Mulberries look a little like blackberries, except the white variety has greenish-white berries (well, you probably knew that already). The tree itself doesn't get very big and can look shrubby. Has lobed leaves that are sort of scalloped around the edges.

They do make wonderful jam and pie, and if you have enough you can make mulberry wine. Mulberries hold together better than blackberries in my experience, so if your berry pie recipe calls for tapioca you can use less with the mulberries. The main hazard to your chickens is that they might get the runs from eating too many, poop purple goo all over your yard/porch/car, and that can cause irate family members to insist on chicken dinners.

Mulberry leaves are also edible by most critters, including chickens and iguanas. Haven't eaten any personally, but my iguana used to love them.

 

[mudhen]

Thank you so much for the info!
This site rocks!!!!!

 

[eggchel]

I planted two mulberry trees in one of the poultry paddocks last year because I heard the the chickens, ducks, and geese love them.

chel

 

[rachel]

There are purple as well as white mulberries. Even the white ones will have a little bit of purplish to them. Basically if it looks like a skinny whitish blackberry, it's probably a mulberry. They love em, get ready for tons of watery dark poo!

 

[drafthorse39]

when i was really little i would collect all the ones on the trees soak them and eat them like grapes. Now i just let the ducks and chickens eat em and i bring them in for the rats to eat. We have about 4 mullberry trees now and i just noticed we have just giving fruit this year. I hate when the wild birds eat em and poop all over the cars though