bad plants for chickens?

[delfargo]

i'm currently in the process of building my coop (renovating a part of the barn). was wondering if there are certain plants that may be harmful for the chickens to be around. the area i am fencing in for the run currently has some day lilies and sedum planted next to the barn. is this a problem? are there any plants you should NOT have in the run? thanx alot.

 

[calista]

I had bookmarked this page for future reference when I built a run, hope it answers your question:

Some plants are poisonous to chickens although fortunately they are quite savvy about what not to eat and it is very rare for a chicken to eat a poisonous plant.
Here is a list of some plants that are poisonous to chickens.

Alfalfa
Bloodroot
Bull Nettle
Bracken
Bryony
Carelessweed
Castor Bean
Cocklebur
Curly Dock
Daffodil
Delphinium
Elderberry
Fern,
Foxglove
Ground Ivy
Hemlock
Horse Chestnut
Horse Radish
Hyacinth
Hydrangea
Ivy
Laburnum
Lamb's Quarters
Lantana
Lily of the Valley
Nightshade (Also called Deadly Nightshade)
Rhododendron
Rhubarb
St. Johns Wort
Tulip
Water Hemlock (Cicuta maculata L.)
Yew

http://poultrykeeper.com/chickens/health/poisonous-plants-for-chickens.html

 

[ColoradoMike]

A handy treat chart created by BYCs BuffHooligans:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart

It includes the following link at the end:

http://www.poultryhelp.com/toxicplants.html

 

[ColoradoMike]

Another way to think about your plant dilemma: do you value those plants at all? If so, relocate them outside of the chicken run. Depending on the chicken density in your run, in all likelyhood the area will be reduced to a chicken wasteland in a matter of weeks. If you value the flora, move it.

 

[delfargo]

thanx for the links regarding poisons and treats. very informative.

 

[RL]

How is it that Alfalfa is poisonous to chickens when it is one of the ingredients in the feed I give my chickens?

 

[leenie]

Yeah, have to say I don't get the alfalfa being on that list either.

 

[JFW]

Alfalfa??? My chicken have been eating alfalfa for years with no problems. My grandparents chickens had free run of a 20 arce alfalfa field beside the barn lot; never a problem. Has anyone ever noticed a problem feeding alfalfa? I give mine a flake of alfalfa hay during the winter months for something green and they love it.

 

[calista]

Yeah, I didn't get the inclusion of alfalfa on that list, either. So I did a little surfing and found:

"Alfalfa also contains saponins that can interfere with the growth of poultry and thus reduce egg-laying (Fuller and McClintock 1986, Oakenfull and Sidhu 1989). Low saponin cultivars have been developed."

Maybe the alfalfa we've all been using without incident is one of those "low-saponin cultivars."