The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

Been discussing this on the Indiana thread. Taking all ideas on removing poison ivy from the property.

I can't use chemical herbicides. Has to be "people and animal safe".

THE STORY
I have a very bad case of PI which I've never had before this year ever. I finally realized that every time I'm around the chickens I'm being exposed to it as there is PI in the wooded area that they run in. They are carriers on their feathers. I think I may have be exposed every time I gather eggs since it's on them and they are likely to leave some residue in the nests and possibly on the eggs.

Anyhow..I've gotten some ideas from the folks on the IN thread and I wanted to put it out here, also, to see if anyone has had any great success with it. I think I really need to try to remove the roots somehow if possible too.

Your experience would be greatly appreciated.

 

[lalaland]

Been discussing this on the Indiana thread. Taking all ideas on removing poison ivy from the property.

I can't use chemical herbicides. Has to be "people and animal safe".

THE STORY
I have a very bad case of PI which I've never had before this year ever. I finally realized that every time I'm around the chickens I'm being exposed to it as there is PI in the wooded area that they run in. They are carriers on their feathers. I think I may have be exposed every time I gather eggs since it's on them and they are likely to leave some residue in the nests and possibly on the eggs.

Anyhow..I've gotten some ideas from the folks on the IN thread and I wanted to put it out here, also, to see if anyone has had any great success with it. I think I really need to try to remove the roots somehow if possible too.

Your experience would be greatly appreciated.

ok, I'm heading over to the indiana thread to check out the ideas. I have poison ivy in one far edge of my property and on the edge of the driveway. Best suggestion I've heard is goats - they will eat it to death and eliminate it. Mowing exremely short helps keep it in control.

I have a family member who has such a bad reaction she gets hospitalized when exposed, so two years ago I broke down and used roundup. Didn't work, it seemed to kill the plants but they were back the following year. Now I didn't treat the whole area, but just sprayed each plant (that was tedious) in an area where she might be.
On my list of chores is to harvest the massive berry stlaks - never seen such a cluster of berries before - on the neighbor's field edging mine, which is practically solid poison ivy. Gonna trespass to do it. Yuck.

I don't know, Sue, you are in for a battle, I can't imagine how you will eradicate it in the woods. I'ld give up and fence off the woods, and leave a barrier path around the fence interior edge, and then leave a wide swath of unmowed grass and weeds for the chicken's foraging - so the weeds and grass grow taller than the chickens. Mowing the edge will keep the ivy from coming into the yard where they run. I know that isn't what you want to hear!

best of luck

 

[ChickChickChicky]

ok, I'm heading over to the indiana thread to check out the ideas. I have poison ivy in one far edge of my property and on the edge of the driveway. Best suggestion I've heard is goats - they will eat it to death and eliminate it. Mowing exremely short helps keep it in control.

I have a family member who has such a bad reaction she gets hospitalized when exposed, so two years ago I broke down and used roundup. Didn't work, it seemed to kill the plants but they were back the following year. Now I didn't treat the whole area, but just sprayed each plant (that was tedious) in an area where she might be.
On my list of chores is to harvest the massive berry stlaks - never seen such a cluster of berries before - on the neighbor's field edging mine, which is practically solid poison ivy. Gonna trespass to do it. Yuck.

I don't know, Sue, you are in for a battle, I can't imagine how you will eradicate it in the woods. I'ld give up and fence off the woods, and leave a barrier path around the fence interior edge, and then leave a wide swath of unmowed grass and weeds for the chicken's foraging - so the weeds and grass grow taller than the chickens. Mowing the edge will keep the ivy from coming into the yard where they run. I know that isn't what you want to hear!

best of luck

Lala, Roundup WILL kill poison ivy, roots and all, and likely it did kill the plants... but as you've seen poison ivy is a prolific seeder (chickens and wild birds LOVE the berries and are spreading the seed everywhere in their manure). I'm sure the next year's crop was all new plants from seed. For just this reason, any attempt to "eliminate" poison ivy will be a permanent, ongoing project.

You can spray the plants with roundup. You can let goats eat them. You can hire someone who is not allergic to poison ivy to tear it all out. Any or all of those will put a big dent in the poison ivy population, but I'm sure you have quite a seed reservoir built up in your soil... there will be no quick fix.

Edited to add: seed is viable for six years! http://extension.psu.edu/pests/weeds/weed-id/poison-ivy

 

[Kassaundra]

Haven't tried it yet, b/c I don't have one yet, but plan on getting one. Has anyone tried a weed torch on PI?

 

[Leahs Mom]

We were discussing a week torch but I think that would be extremely dangerous. Inhaling the smoke is extremely dangerous, unfortunately.

 

[LindaB220]

Been discussing this on the Indiana thread. Taking all ideas on removing poison ivy from the property.

I can't use chemical herbicides. Has to be "people and animal safe".

THE STORY
I have a very bad case of PI which I've never had before this year ever. I finally realized that every time I'm around the chickens I'm being exposed to it as there is PI in the wooded area that they run in. They are carriers on their feathers. I think I may have be exposed every time I gather eggs since it's on them and they are likely to leave some residue in the nests and possibly on the eggs.

Anyhow..I've gotten some ideas from the folks on the IN thread and I wanted to put it out here, also, to see if anyone has had any great success with it. I think I really need to try to remove the roots somehow if possible too.

Your experience would be greatly appreciated.

Go to the Laundry detergent part of the store. Look for Fels-Naptha bar of soap. It's the only one I know of that removes the oil from your skin. I paid $20 for a cream from the pharmacy that was Fels something and contained it. I use it as my soap in my bath now because I'm so allergic to PI. Actually I've never had it again. Last year was a nightmare for 10 days. Good luck

 

[Leahs Mom]

I do have the fels naptha! And I have used it

 

[lazy gardener]

Been discussing this on the Indiana thread. Taking all ideas on removing poison ivy from the property.

I can't use chemical herbicides. Has to be "people and animal safe".

THE STORY
I have a very bad case of PI which I've never had before this year ever. I finally realized that every time I'm around the chickens I'm being exposed to it as there is PI in the wooded area that they run in. They are carriers on their feathers. I think I may have be exposed every time I gather eggs since it's on them and they are likely to leave some residue in the nests and possibly on the eggs.

Anyhow..I've gotten some ideas from the folks on the IN thread and I wanted to put it out here, also, to see if anyone has had any great success with it. I think I really need to try to remove the roots somehow if possible too.

Your experience would be greatly appreciated.

Also interested in replies.

 

[Kassaundra]

We were discussing a week torch but I think that would be extremely dangerous. Inhaling the smoke is extremely dangerous, unfortunately.

Your not suppose to burn the plant w/ a weed torch, you are suppose to hyper heat the sap to kill from inside.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote: so how do you do that?