cherry tomato plant in run?

[Badchickenpun]

The cherry tomato plants keep popping up in my garden, very hardy
I was thinking of replanting them in the run for the chickens instead of just ripping them out... Ive read mixed messaging on tomato PLANTS and chickens.
Does anyone here have chickens that have direct access to tomato plants? Any advice form experience?

 

[Chicken poppy]

The cherry tomato plants keep popping up in my garden, very hardy
I was thinking of replanting them in the run for the chickens instead of just ripping them out... Ive read mixed messaging on tomato PLANTS and chickens.
Does anyone here have chickens that have direct access to tomato plants? Any advice form experience?

Yes. Here is my experience on it.
I have always had cherry tomatoes with the chickens, and they love to eat them. Like, really love them. The problem is that some chickens will eat the leaves which are toxic. Make sure they don’t eat that, the stem, or any unripe version. I wouldn’t recommend keeping it with them if you think they would eat the greens of it.

Like said, one of my chickens was obsessed with eating the green bits, which is obviously not good.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Tomatoes are a member of the nightshade group. The green parts of the plant are poisonous to chickens. The fruits are fine, they can eat all they want - but never let them have the leaves or stems. They probably wouldn't eat them anyway, but still.... better safe than sorry.

I haven't had experience with chickens eating the green parts of tomato plants, because I've never let the chickens have access to my garden when it's in production - only before planting and after last harvest (and I pull up and dispose of the tomato plants).
FWIW, I have lots of 'volunteer' tomato plants pop up here and there around the farm, but unless they're in my garden or in a pot, they get mowed or trampled.

I'm sure many of the other weeds that pop up everywhere on our farm are poisonous, even deadly, to chickens; pokeweed, hemlock, jimson weed, snakeroot, probably a few others. My chickens free-range occasionally, and in general I think they avoid these plants. Still, I take measures to keep the weeds at bay with regular mowing and spraying (when birds are locked up), and they don't go into tall weeds or brush anyway.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

You could plant the tomato plants in the run in a ring of welded wire fence. That way, the chickens won't really be able to eat the leaves or dig up the plant, but when the tomatoes are ripe, you can harvest and use them to treat the flock.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

You could plant the tomato plants in the run in a ring of welded wire fence. That way, the chickens won't really be able to eat the leaves or dig up the plant, but when the tomatoes are ripe, you can harvest and use them to treat the flock.

With all due respect, have you ever grown tomatoes? I've grown several varieties - and even with determinate varieties, the "ring of welded wire fence" would have to be at least 6 feet in diameter to keep the leaves and vines out of reach of the chickens. Especially with the nutrient-rich soil in the run! I'd just plant them elsewhere with standard tomato cages, and toss the treats into the chickens' run.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

With all due respect, have you ever grown tomatoes? I've grown several varieties - and even with determinate varieties, the "ring of welded wire fence" would have to be at least 6 feet in diameter to keep the leaves and vines out of reach of the chickens. Especially with the nutrient-rich soil in the run! I'd just plant them elsewhere with standard tomato cages, and toss the treats into the chickens' run.

I've never grown tomatoes quite that well, but as long as the chickens can't peck the plant to death, I don't know that they'd really eat them excessively.

I guess that kind of assumes the chickens have enough "other" stuff to keep them full and occupied. But tomato plants are bitter, so chickens likely won't eat them unless there's nothing else.

But yeah, I have to imagine the chicken run would provide a lot of nutrients...it's why I have three peach trees planted in mine (as of last summer). Interested to see how they do.

 

[Chicken poppy]

With all due respect, have you ever grown tomatoes? I've grown several varieties - and even with determinate varieties, the "ring of welded wire fence" would have to be at least 6 feet in diameter to keep the leaves and vines out of reach of the chickens. Especially with the nutrient-rich soil in the run! I'd just plant them elsewhere with standard tomato cages, and toss the treats into the chickens' run.

Yes exactly! My tomato plant (this year, it was the tallest.) grew about 10 feet tall and was MASSIVE. Just a complete mess with leaves growing everywhere. It’s useless trying to contain it within metal wire.

 

[Chicken poppy]

I've never grown tomatoes quite that well, but as long as the chickens can't peck the plant to death, I don't know that they'd really eat them excessively.

I guess that kind of assumes the chickens have enough "other" stuff to keep them full and occupied. But tomato plants are bitter, so chickens likely won't eat them unless there's nothing else.

But yeah, I have to imagine the chicken run would provide a lot of nutrients...it's why I have three peach trees planted in mine (as of last summer). Interested to see how they do.

I would have to politely disagree. My chickens have plenty to do and are spoiled rotten. They have company, huge coop and run even free ranging but some would destroy that plant, ripping the leaves off and going crazy to eat it! The same ones would do the same to a strawberry plant.
My point is, i think it depends less on the activities and more on the individual chicken.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

I've never grown tomatoes quite that well ...........

I'm in Missouri, and tomatoes love HOT weather as long as they've got plenty to drink. They grow like crazy in this hot, humid summer climate. So the size is probably just a regional difference!

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I would have to politely disagree. My chickens have plenty to do and are spoiled rotten. They have company, huge coop and run even free ranging but some would destroy that plant, ripping the leaves off and going crazy to eat it! The same ones would do the same to a strawberry plant.
My point is, i think it depends less on the activities and more on the individual chicken.

They'll keep eating something that tastes bad and isn't good for them? I find mine pretty much ignore things they don't like....I noticed some daffodils popping up in my run this week, and if something they don't enjoy (like an onion) sprouts in the compost, they ignore it.

But I imagine all flocks and all chickens are a bit different. Mine eat some things other people's flocks don't like, and ignore some things that people report their flock going nuts for.