Yes, I realize toxicity could cause chronic issues, but had so much trouble pinning down IF ivy was toxic and what problems it might cause, I thought it'd be helpful to post ongoing experience about it. I'm not feeding them ivy on purpose, but it grows as a weed around the edges of their run and would be so difficult to eradicate, and almost everything I read says "don't worry, they won't eat ivy" but my dummies do. :-(
I did a lot more reading and determined that the toxic compound in english ivy is the glycoside hederin. It isn't directly toxic but can be converted into cyanide. Apparently faster digestion and less chewing (like chickens) can make it less potentially toxic than it would be for a ruminant, for example. Usually accute symptoms include vomiting, listlessness, obvious scary syptoms. I can pretty much say based on my experience that ivy in reasonable amounts is not toxic enough for accute symptoms in chickens (it's considered only "mildly poisonous" to birds by two of the sources below.) Chronic toxicity symptoms are thyroid issues and goiters, and "ataxia" (lack of coordination and balance) due to neuropathy (nerve damage).
So based on all this, I'm going to try to pull up any ivy that I can (I read herbicide use can actually increase the toxicity of the wilted leaves) and offer tastier alternatives that hopefully will keep them from eating a toxic amount of ivy. Any suggestions for non-toxic groundcovers for dry shade? I see vinca is also a no-no! Sheesh!!
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/plants-that-are-poisonous-to-chickens.html
http://www.gardenguides.com/129306-english-ivy-toxicity.html
https://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/hehe.htm
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/toxicology/cyanide_poisoning/overview_of_cyanide_poisoning.html
I did a lot more reading and determined that the toxic compound in english ivy is the glycoside hederin. It isn't directly toxic but can be converted into cyanide. Apparently faster digestion and less chewing (like chickens) can make it less potentially toxic than it would be for a ruminant, for example. Usually accute symptoms include vomiting, listlessness, obvious scary syptoms. I can pretty much say based on my experience that ivy in reasonable amounts is not toxic enough for accute symptoms in chickens (it's considered only "mildly poisonous" to birds by two of the sources below.) Chronic toxicity symptoms are thyroid issues and goiters, and "ataxia" (lack of coordination and balance) due to neuropathy (nerve damage).
So based on all this, I'm going to try to pull up any ivy that I can (I read herbicide use can actually increase the toxicity of the wilted leaves) and offer tastier alternatives that hopefully will keep them from eating a toxic amount of ivy. Any suggestions for non-toxic groundcovers for dry shade? I see vinca is also a no-no! Sheesh!!
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/plants-that-are-poisonous-to-chickens.html
http://www.gardenguides.com/129306-english-ivy-toxicity.html
https://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/hehe.htm
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/toxicology/cyanide_poisoning/overview_of_cyanide_poisoning.html
