Are these berries safe?

[P-Funk]

The 3 month olds have discovered a small bush in the confines of their newly fenced driveway with 6 gardens in it. This bush was not planted by me and has to be wild. The tiny red berries have the consistency of a tomato but don't taste like much of anything. I wouldn't give them anything besides layer feed that I wouldn't eat myself. If you look closely you can see them buried in there.

 

[Hollywood Chickens]

This may help you ID it http://www.coloradoplants.org/species.php?id=4

 

[Imp]

Some close up pictures would help, of the leaves & berries.

It kind of looks like Poorman's Gooseberry.
Does it have thorns? Strong big thorns?
Are the berries pale green turning red, kinda striped like watermelon?

If it is a gooseberry, perfectly edible, and sweeter than the traditional green gooseberry.

Imp

 

[P-Funk]

Thanks, Holly. There weren't any of these on the link you posted. IMP, here's a close up. The girls already ate as much as they could reach before jumping over the fence and wandering off into the yard. It appears 400' of fence wasn't enough

I should add we live @ 7000' on the Palmer Divide in Colorado, where wierd plants and animals, namely birds, aren't wierd at all.

 

[Denninmi]

Yes, definitely a gooseberry. Perfectly safe for everyone, makes an awesome pie. The ones in the photo are only partially ripe -- when they get dead ripe, they'll be darker, soft, and slightly wrinkled, and generally very sweet.

 

[Imp]

Yeah that looks like a gooseberry. I just picked mine last night. On my Poorman's the berries get darker, almost dark purple. Green gooseberries are very sour, the red ones are supposed to be sweeter.
Be careful of the thorns.

Imp

 

[flowergirl60]

Wish I had one of those in my yard.