Advice on chosing new vegetable varities to grow that are safe around?

[DianeB]

I have been agressively looking over my Baker Creek and SEARCH/native seeds catalogs. There seems to be several interesting vegetables and fruits I have never heard of that I would like to grow. The only problem is that I am not sure if they are safe around chickens. I've been having a hard time finding reliable online resources. Some of these plants are not popular enough to have clear information about their toxicity. Does anyone know of a good source of information? I would like to try bitter melon, horned cucumber, orach, angled gourd/luffa, Malabar spinach, New Zealand spinach, corrales azafran (Carthamus tinctorius) and desert chia. Does anyone have any experience/information about any of these?

Thank You

 

[chicks4kids]

The only experience I have had with chickens and gardens is that you have got to keep them out!!! I have found that they love eating the blooms off of growing vegatables, which in turn, means no veggies....maybe you should put up a fence for the garden. That's what I have to do...they don't fly over it either...they just walk around it looking at me like "why can't I come in there?"

 

[gritsar]

I know there's some threads here on BYC about plant toxicity. You could probably turn them up with a search.
My chickens free range and I have a philosophy. There's plenty of good things to eat on this farm, plenty of bad things too. I don't have dead chickens, thus they must know what's okay and what's not.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've grown the New Zealand spinach. They preferred kale, chard, cabbage and broccoli, but they would eat it if it was all I offered.

 

[DianeB]

I do keep them away from the plants until the end of the season. I've learned this the hard way. Last year, they had to be in my garden for a few months. Needless to say, I had no peppers or tomatoes. However, it is only a backyard they range in, so, inevitably will have to come across these plants. it would be nice to know that what I have planted will not make them drop dead.

 

[GardeNerd]

Quote:
None of the plants you mentioned showed up on the poisonous plant list from UCDavis that I cross reference on.
http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/ce/king/PoisPlant/Tox-COM.htm

Carthamus tinctorius (Safflower) can cause dermititis, itching.
Luffa cylindrica- the bitter types have poisonous parts. I don't know how closely related to luffa acutangula, "angled gourd loffa," it is.


If you know the genus and species of a plant, http://davesgarden.com/ is often very helpful for plants I am unfamiliar with. Along with other plant details, they typically list if there is or is not any toxicity reported with a plant. *I don't know if you have to be a member or not to use their search engine.

I grow a number of plants in my yard that show up on many different lists as being poisonous. However, keep in mind there are vary degrees of toxicity in plants. Some plants cause mild symptoms like itching, and that is still considered toxic, but it won't kill you, your pets, or your chickens typically. I look out for plants listed as deadly or to have Major Toxicity. The worst offenders in my yard only cause gastric problems, and are usually listed as having minor toxicity. The chickens leave those alone, and if they have taken a nibble, they never bothered them again.

Here is a short easy list of stuff people commonly grow around by me that could kill the chickens or me if I ate them:


I don't plant or ever recommend people plant these, even though they are sooooo pretty.

Oleander

Brugmansia sanguinea (Angel's Trumpet)

Foxglove

Datura stramonium (Jimson Weed)

Larkspur

Nicotiana glauca (Tree Tobacco)

Castor Bean

English Yew

*I watch out for mushrooms in the yard, too.



So many of the online lists are daunting to non gardeners and gardeners alike and are aimed more at human toxins, but agencies like the SPCA apply them to animals as well. I waded through a lot of the different lists when I got a baby tortoise 5 years ago, and then again when I got chickens. I finally decided to worry only about the worst offenders that are deadly. My animals leave all the mildly toxic stuff alone. I would have no garden left if I only planted stuff that was healthy for the chickens to eat. Good Luck.

Here is my list of chicken resistant plants so far. https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=20741-plants-chickens-dont-eat

 

[FireTigeris]

Quote:
I have two plants in my yard I know are considered toxic- they don't touch them.

(Azalea & poinsettia)

 

[DianeB]

Thank You
GardenNerd

 

[modenacart]

I would keep them out of the garden unless you want holes in all your produce.

 

[DianeB]

I try. The only problem is in the summer we have a nice area on the side of the house - which is part of the garden - that we make cool and comfortable for them on 100 degree days. Inevitably, they have to pass by my vegetables. The garden was already established before I got them. I really don't have the time, money, space or patience to move my garden elsewhere. I am seriously considering putting smaller fencing or strong netting around my beds, though.