Black cherry tree over the chicken coop?

[pdxchickgirl111]

We are backyard chicken newbie's, and have recently acquired 4 adorable little chicks that are growing like weeds. We have been busy building them a coop and hen house in the corner of our yard, but have recently discovered that the large tree hanging over it may be a black cherry tree. I am reading now that black cherry tree leaves can be poisonous to livestock, particularly horses and cows, but not clear if that applies to chickens. Have any other chicken owners had a black cherry tree near their birds, and if so, did they eat the leaves, and were there any problems? We would hate to cut down the tree, and don't have too many alternate spots for the coop.

 

[janinepeters]

If it is toxic to chickens, I strongly doubt they would eat it, unless you left them without food and they were starving. Think of the all the people who let their birds free range, without any control over what the birds eat, and they do just fine. Now mine are in a fenced in yard, but when they used to free range, they ate whatever they wanted. We do have a lot of black cherry here, and I had no problem with chickens getting sick or dropping dead.

 

[Farmer_Dan]

I don't know, but I would be concerned. When they are cooped up in their pen all day, they tend to eat anything that they can get their beaks on.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

I have read that cherry leaves are primarily toxic to livestock, and usually after they are wilted - I think it was on wikipedia, the fruit itself shouldn't be a problem,and I've not heard any warnings from the locals here where we have many cherry trees, chickens seem to discard old wilted stuff, as long as they have alternative nutrition.

 

[hcppam]

If wild birds eat them, a chicken can. There is a post somewhere here BYC about a cherry tree in a coop and her chickens eating them all the time with no effect.

 

[janinepeters]

If wild birds eat them, a chicken can

I think the person asking the question is asking about the foliage, not the berries. The berries are indeed edible to birds, humans, and other animals. I eat them myself. I personally would leave the tree and not worry, but my birds have a lot of space and and access to grasses and other plants in their fenced in yard. If yours are going to be confined to a coop and run too small to support any plant life after they scratch around for awhile, then maybe they will nibble at the fallen black cherry leaves. I doubt it, though, and think they would benefit from the shade, the cherries that fall into the run in the fall, and the leaf litter which provides hiding places for insects that the chickens can scratch around for.​

 

[Two Creeks Farm]

My grandfathers coop had cherry trees and a few wild cherry trees in it or surrounding it. He had chickens the entire time he was alive in that coop and never had a single issue.

 

[crystalsc]

Anyone know about the toxicity in the bark and wood? I have a stump from one that was cut down last summer. I was thinking of putting it in the run for them to climb on but I’m sure they’ll peck at the bark.