Azaleas in the chicken run

[Kezzie]

I've read on a few lists that azaleas aren't good for chickens. I have some mature azalea bushes along the house in an area I want to be enclosed by the chicken run. Digging them out is backbreaking and will take hours and hours. What I would like to do is to cut them all back to their trunk and just keep trimming new growth until they die. Does anyone know exactly how bad they are for chickens? Especially if there are no leaves?

 

[Zahboo]

If you like your azaleas, you could create a wire box around them, maybe 1' off the sides. As it grows you'll have to either cut it back or make the wire bigger.

 

[kayjuggler]

I don't know if azaleas are safe for chickens or not but I do know that azaleas are usually shallow rooted shrubs. Of all the shrubs we have moved, these are the easiest to dig up. They could handle being cut back and moved...you would just need to keep them well watered to help them recover from being moved mid-summer. Ideally you would move them in the fall. Read up on the subject and if you don't have too many, it may be way less work than you imagined.

 

[LynneP]

I agree, move them or have them dug up by the chickens at the outer perimeter. I wouldn't risk having them nip at the ends of leave that poke through the wire, either...lovely plants, better to keep them (elsewhere).

You can get more info about the toxicity here, I didn't notice them on the list during a quick check-

http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/comlist.html

 

[chickendude]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/members/archives/112
Here is a good list of plants that are poisonous to chickens. Rather long. Possibly a good list to print and keep a hard copy for quick reference.

They are on this list!

 

[Chickenaddict]

I have a ton of toxic plants on my property and my chickens always free ranged and never have I had an issue with them eating any of the "bad plants" Seems they may sense they are bad news but in any case It would probably be your best bet to take it out of there... Here is what I dug up about them

Azalia (Rhododendron occidentale) :Major toxicity: Ingestions of these plants, especially in large amounts, are expected to cause serious effects to major body organs such as the liver, heart or kidneys. If ingested, call the poison center immediately for more advice.


The webiste i got the info from is...
http://www.busybirds.net/Toxic.html

 

[Kojack]

We have had azalea's while living in the north and in the south. what we have noticed is that the further north they are the more shallow the roots. If they are large bushes the best thing to do is cut them low and paint the cut with 24D it wil kill them quickly. If you still want some around just pull some runners up and stick them in the ground. Personally I hate the dang things.

 

[Kezzie]

Quote:
Ah, that makes sense because when the other poster said they have shallow roots, I wondered if we were talking about the same bush! Here in Georgia, they grow wild and they are very difficult to dig. I don't need to save these ones because we have so many. I just don't want the chickens to eat them...