California-Southern

[perchie.girl]

@RanchRichey another great treat for chickens is Alfalfa. You can go to the feed store and they will let you rake up alfalfa leaves for a minimal charge per trash bag.

I had about forty mixed flock of chickens and Guinea Fowl divided into three pens. I would give each pen a flake of Alfalfa once a month.... it was like an enrichment food. Oh the scratching and disassembly of those flakes were fun to watch. My goats werent too happy because I gave them "Their" alfalfa....lol. for what its worth a flake of alfalfa can be between ten and twenty pounds....

some argue the stems are too woody and can cause impaction... but if you are only supplementally feeding it they dont try to break down the stems. Alfalfa leavings are also excellent compost for the garden.... Full of nitrogen and minerals.....including calcium which benefits the chickens as well.

The only other feed I used to feed besides Alfalfa was Black oil Sunflower seeds and Catfish chow. The catfish chow was mainly to help replace the bugs and crawly critters they werent able to get out and get during free ranging. I fed it mixed in their regular pelleted feed at the rate of One scoop catfish to five of the layer... Mixed up in the bin... catfish chow and layer are pelleted in the same shape and size with only a small color difference so they cant pick it out.

Other good treats are Tuna and Sardines and left over meat or fish from the table. The thanksgiving Turkey carcass will be picked cleaner than you can imagine.

deb

deb

 

[Sylvester017]

Thanks for the warning. We planted this ourselves, so know that it is parsley. Also they have an enclosure for night time, but they free range during the day. They were not closed in at the time I gave them this. Also I did a little reading on the subject before I gave it to them. But I hear your point about the long stems. I will chop it more from now on.

When I discovered the relation to hemlock I just decided for myself not to feed parsley or cilantro to our birds. With parsley maybe that's why only a tiny sprig is used on restaurant plates as garnish aside from its somewhat bitter taste? And with so many other available greens to feed to chickens we just decided to go with other greens they liked. I come across so many pro/con articles written about chicken products that if there's no conclusive scientific backup or too much contentious controversy I choose on the side of caution and don't use it. There's enough stuff out there with research behind it that I don't take just one article's say-so -- but that's just me. Our hens' priority is still their balanced organic feed and when offering treats or necessities like greens/produce we choose to rotate and not feed too much of any one thing. Nice to hear you are planting your own garden. We planted several cucumber bushes to keep our chickens supplied for summer greens treats and bought sprouting seeds which the chickens love the freshly sprouted salad seeds. We only have 4 birds more like pets so we do these nutsy things for them but I imagine it would be impractical to do for larger flocks

.

 

[Sylvester017]

Be careful classifying things with a broad brush as to what is or is not poisonous.... There are over 3000 species that are in the same family as hemlock. Many of them are edible. and too its a matter of quantity

Carrots and Parsnips and Celery are also in the same family....

deb

And believe it or not, deb -- neither we or our chickens like carrots, parsnips or celery! There's something to be said about taste discernment

.

 

[perchie.girl]

Potatoes, Tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, Goji berries, and Tomatillos are All in the night shade family.

I like em all. I like parsnips too..... instead of potato for mashed potatoes. Low carb a little bit of anise flavor sweet.... Yummmy

All things in moderation ....

deb

 

[RanchRichey]

@RanchRichey
   another great treat for chickens is Alfalfa.   You can go to the feed store and they will let you rake up alfalfa leaves for a minimal charge per trash bag.  

I had about forty mixed flock of chickens and Guinea Fowl divided into three pens.   I would give each pen a flake of Alfalfa once a month....  it was like an enrichment food.  Oh the scratching and disassembly of those flakes were fun to watch.   My goats werent too happy because I gave them  "Their" alfalfa....lol.   for what its worth a flake of alfalfa can be between ten and twenty pounds.... 

some argue the stems are too woody and can cause impaction...  but if you are only supplementally feeding it they dont try to break down the stems.  Alfalfa leavings are also excellent compost for the garden....  Full of nitrogen and minerals.....including calcium which benefits the chickens as well.

The only other feed I used to feed besides Alfalfa was Black oil Sunflower seeds and Catfish chow.  The catfish chow was mainly to help replace the bugs and crawly critters they werent able to get out and get during free ranging.   I fed it mixed in their regular pelleted feed at the rate of One scoop catfish to five of the layer...  Mixed up in the bin...  catfish chow and layer are pelleted in the same shape and size with only a small color difference so they cant pick it out.

Other good treats are Tuna and Sardines and left over meat or fish from the table.   The thanksgiving Turkey carcass will be picked cleaner than you can imagine.

deb

deb

Great advice Deb! Thanks. And yes, they rely mostly on their chick grower feed, but some fun supplemental healthy treats are given on occasion.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote: Of course my recommendations were for adults.... LOL.

deb

 

[Sylvester017]

Potatoes, Tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, Goji berries, and Tomatillos are All in the night shade family.

I like em all. I like parsnips too..... instead of potato for mashed potatoes. Low carb a little bit of anise flavor sweet.... Yummmy

All things in moderation ....

deb

As a youth I was tested and found severely allergic to all produce in the nightshade family, dairy - mostly cow's milk products, citrus, beef, chicken, all the stone fruits, all common grains, some berries, licorice, a few veggies including sweet or hot peppers, some spices, aspirin and a lot more. Amazing that eggs from all poultry (ducks, chickens, geese, quail, etc) were ok. I was given the ok to eat sweet potatoes (not the orange Thanksgiving kind) since sweet pots were not considered nightshade like the orange yams were. I dropped 20-lbs just by eliminating the allergenic foods. I will occasionally introduce a no-no food in my meals but choose to mainly follow my original allowed foods list. It's nice to frequent restaurants that cater to special diets nowadays because years ago it was impossible to shop grocery stores or eat out

.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
I think the term is poisonous for you.... I understand totally. But you cant make broad statements that Because its in XX family it is poisonous for chickens.... There are alot of people who are new to chickens and this gives them possibly false information. Its far better to say In my opionion this is poisonous.... this allows people to make an informed choice.

sorry about your dietary issues...

deb "who for one would like to move on to another topic"

 

[Sylvester017]

I think the term is poisonous for you.... I understand totally. But you cant make broad statements that Because its in XX family it is poisonous for chickens.... There are alot of people who are new to chickens and this gives them possibly false information. Its far better to say In my opionion this is poisonous.... this allows people to make an informed choice.

sorry about your dietary issues...

deb "who for one would like to move on to another topic"

I'm sorry if you thought mentioning parsley/cilantro as relatives in the hemlock family was broad. It is fact and not a broad statement but to each his own, deb. I know you and I mean well. We just have to be aware to do our research and to use moderation in these food families and that not all parts of plants or fruits are necessarily safe. Experienced free-range chickens are good at not eating anything poisonous and learn what is good to eat and not - a 6th sense. But chickens that are underfed the right nutrients or not used to being open-ranged might ingest a bad plant we offer in ignorance because it is hungry or bored or still inexperienced about what's good or not. It's up to their humans to think these things out since a lot of chickens are hatchery chicks not raised by hens to teach them open-range savvy. I had a pullet that loved to eat the toxic leaves of a certain tomato plant through the mesh wire so I had to completely cage off the plant so she couldn't reach in to eat. If it was just a few nibbles, but she wanted to devour the plant and I would've had one sick chicken! People might know their chickens love tomatoes but might not be aware of the toxicity of the tomato leaves or vines. Our chickens have a backyard full of feed, water, and greens, but they always want the one thing they can't reach! I like it when I see owners feeding their penned chickens chopped greens and veggies rather than just dumping solid cabbage heads or whole lettuces into the penned flock - less chicken crop issues to give them non-stringy produce and chopped pieces.

 

[perchie.girl]

Ok how about talking about a comprehensive list

Here is an article in the book that the founder of BYC wrote:

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/plants-that-are-poisonous-to-chickens.html

Plants That Are Poisonous to Chickens

By Bonnie Jo Manion and Robert T. Ludlow from Gardening with Free-Range Chickens For Dummies
When you’re free-ranging chickens, acquaint yourself with the more common ornamentals and edibles that are mildly toxic to poisonous to chickens. You’ll find a variety of plants that have toxic or poisonous qualities for chickens.
Always err on the side of caution; if you suspect a plant is poisonous to your chickens, rid it from your garden. Many plants have toxic properties that act as a type of innate defense to help the plants to survive.
Poisonous ornamental plants

Even though many ornamental plants are mildly toxic or poisonous to chickens, they’re highly unlikely to eat these plants while free-ranging. While sheep, goats, and other livestock animals will eat toxic plants, chickens rarely do.
When chickens eat something poisonous, it’s usually because someone unintentionally fed them something poisonous or underfed them while they were confined and exposed to something poisonous.
The following are some of the more common ornamental plants potentially toxic, yet unlikely that chickens would freely eat these.

• Azalea: Rhododendron spp.
• Boxwood: Buxus spp.
• Buttercup family: Ranunculaceae. This family includes anemone, clematis, delphinium, and ranunculus.
• Cherry laurel: Prunus laurocerasus.
• Daffodil: Narcissus spp.
• Daphne: Daphne spp.
• Foxglove: Digitalis spp.
• Honeysuckle: Lonicera spp.
• Hydrangea: Hydrangea spp.
• Ivy: Hedera spp.
• Jasmine: Jasminum spp.
• Lantana: Lantana spp.
• Lily of the valley: Convallaria majalis.
• Mexican poppy: Argemone mexicana
• Monkshood: Aconitum napellus.
• Mountain laurel: Kalmia latifolia.
• Oleander: Nerium oleander.
• Rhododendron: Rhododendron spp.
• Sweet pea: Lathyrus spp.
• Tobacco: Nicotiana spp.
• Tulip: Tulipa
• Wisteria: Wisteria spp.
• Yew: Taxus spp.

Poisonous edible plants

The following list contains suggestions for edibles to avoid with hand-feeding and free-ranging chickens:

• Avocado skin and pits contain persin, which is toxic to chickens.
• Avoid citrus juice and skins.
• Don’t give chickens any edible containing salt, sugar, coffee, or liquor.
• Uncooked raw or dried beans contain hemaglutin, which is poisonous to chickens.
• Raw green potato skins contain solanine, which is poisonous to chickens.
• Onions are a poor food to give to chickens because onions flavor eggs. Large quantities of onions can be harmful to chickens, affecting their red blood cells, causing hemolytic anemia or Heinz anemia.
• Avoid feeding or free-ranging chickens specific unshelled nuts of walnuts (Juglans spp.), black walnuts (Juglans nigrs), hazelnuts (Corylus), and pecans (Carya illinoinensis).
• Don’t give your chickens leaves of rhubarb, potato, or tomato plants.

Deadly poisonous plants found in pastures

These plants are not only extremely poisonous to poultry, but also to many other types of livestock and humans. This is not an inclusive list, and be aware that these plants can be found in other areas besides pastures, such as meadows, wilderness areas, and sometimes in gardens as volunteers. These are the types of plants you absolutely should never expose your chickens to:

• Black locust: Robinia pseudoacacia.
• Bladderpod: Glottidium vasicarium.
• Death Camas: Zigadenus spp.
• Castor bean: Ricinus communis.
• European black nightshade: Solanum nigrum.
• Corn cockle: Agrostemma githago.
• Horsenettle: Datura stramonium.
• Milkweed: Asclepias tuberosa. And other varieties.
• Mushrooms: Amanita spp. Death Cap, Destroying Angel, Panther Cap. Extremely deadly and poisonous if ingested.
• Jimsonweed: Datura stramonium.
• Poison hemlock: Conium maculatum.
• Pokeberry: Phytolacca americana.
• Rosary pea: Arbus precatorius.
• Water Hemlock: Cicuta spp.
• White snakeroot: Ageratina altissima.

Here is a list from right here on BYC:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/627282/comprehensive-list-of-poisonous-plants-and-trees



ARUM LILY
AMARYLLIS
ARALIA
ARROWHEAD VINE
AUTUMN CROCUS
AUSTRALIAN FLAMETREE
AUSTRALIAN UMBRELLA TREE
AVOCADO
AZALEA
BANEBERRY
BEANS: (CASTOR, HORSE, FAVA, BROAD, GLORY, SCARLET RUNNER,
MESCAL, NAVY, PREGATORY)
BIRD OF PARADISE
BISHOP'S WEED
BLACK LAUREL
BLACK LOCUST
BLEEDING HEART OR DUTCHMAN'S BREECHES
BLOODROOT
BLUEBONNET
BLUEGREEN ALGAE
BOXWOOD
BRACKEN FERN
BUCKTHORN
BULB FLOWERS: (AMARYLLIS, DAFFODIL, NARCISSUS, HYACINTH & IRIS)
BURDOCK
BUTTERCUP
CACAO
CAMEL BUSH
CASTOR BEAN
CALADIUM
CANA LILY
CARDINAL FLOWER
CHALICE (TRUMPET VINE)
CHERRY TREE
CHINA BERRY TREE
CHRISTMAS CANDLE
CLEMATIS (VIRGINIA BOWER)
CLIVIA
COCKLEBUR
COFFEE (SENNA)
COFFEE BEAN (RATTLEBUSH, RATTLE BOX & COFFEEWEED)
CORAL PLANT
CORIANDER
CORNCOCKLE
COYOTILLO
COWSLIP
CUTLEAF PHILODENDRON
DAFFODIL
DAPHNE
DATURA STRAMONIUM (ANGEL'S TRUMPET)
DEATH CAMUS
DELPHINIUM
DEVIL'S IVY
DIEFFENBACHIA (DUMB CANE)
ELDERBERRY
ELEPHANT EAR (TARO)
ENGLISH IVY
ERGOT
EUCALYPTUS (DRIED, DYED OR TREATED IN FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS)
EUONYMUS (SPINDLE TREE)
EUPHORBIA CACTUS
FALSE HELLEBORE
FLAME TREE
FELT PLANT (MATERNITY, AIR & PANDA PLANTS)
FIG (WEEPING)
FIRE THORN
FLAMINGO FLOWER
FOUR O'CLOCK
FOXGLOVE
GLOTTIDIUM
GOLDEN CHAIN
GRASS: (JOHNSON, SORGHUM, SUDAN & BROOM CORN)
GROUND CHERRY
HEATHS: (KALMIA, LEUCOTHO, PEIRES, RHODODENDRON, MTN. LAUREL,
BLACK LAUREL, ANDROMEDA & AZALEA)
HELIOTROPE
HEMLOCK: (POISON & WATER)
HENBANE
HOLLY
HONEYSUCKLE
HORSE CHESTNUT
HORSE TAIL
HOYA
HYACINTH
HYDRANGEA
IRIS IVY: (ENGLISH & OTHERS)
JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT
JASMINE (JESSAMINE)
JERUSALEM CHERRY
JIMSONWEED
JUNIPER
KY. COFFEE TREE
LANTANA (RED SAGE)
LARKSPUR
LILY OF THE VALLEY
LILY, ARUM
LOBELIA
LOCOWEED (MILK VETCH)
LOCUSTS, BLACK / HONEY
LORDS & LADIES (CUCKOOPINT)
LUPINE
MALANGA
MARIJUANA (HEMP)
MAYAPPLE (MANDRAKE)
MEXICAN BREADFRUIT
MEXICAN POPPY
MILKWEED, COTTON BUSH
MISTLETOE
MOCK ORANGE
MONKSHOOD
MOONSEED
MORNING GLORY
MTN. LAUREL
MUSHROOMS, AMANITA
MYRTLE
NARCISSUS
NETTLES
NIGHTSHADES: (DEADLY, BLACK, GARDEN, WOODY, BITTERSWEET,
EGGPLANT, JERUSALEM CHERRY)
OAK
OLEANDER
OXALIS
PARSLEY
PEACE LILY
PERIWINKLE
PHILODENDRONS: (SPLIT LEAF, SWISS CHEESE, HEART-LEAF)
PIGWEED
POINCIANA
POINSETTIA
POISON IVY
POISON HEMLOCK
POISON OAK: (WESTERN & EASTERN)
POKEWEED
POTATO SHOOTS
POTHOS
PRIVET
PYRACANTHA
RAIN TREE
RANUNCULUS, BUTTERCUP
RAPE
RATTLEBOX, CROTALARIA
RED MAPLE
RED SAGE (LANTANA)
RHUBARB LEAVES
RHODODENDRONS
ROSARY PEA SEEDS
SAND BOX TREE
SKUNK CABBAGE
SORREL (DOCK)
SNOW DROP
SPURGES: (PENCIL TREE, SNOW-ON-MTN, CANDELABRA, CROWN OF THORNS)
STAR OF BETHLEHEM
SWEET PEA
SWISS CHEESE PLANT (MONSTERA)
TANSY RAGWORT
TOBACCO
UMBRELLA PLANT
VETCH: HAIRY/COMMON
VIRGINIA CREEPER
WATTLE
WEEPING FIG
WHITE CEDAR, CHINA BERRY
WISTERIA
YEWS
YELLOW JASMINE

and Here:
another great discussion on poisonous plants
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/29111/poisonous-plants

I for instance have Loco Weed on my property. It looks like pea pods with a papery shell. pretty plant. but Toxic to livestock.... Even if they eat a whole plant it may only cause them diarrhea... If they are starved ant this is the only plant available horses cows and sheep will eat it excluseively Loco Weed causes irreversable damage to their liver and brain. they have to be put down because they are a danger to themselves and us caregivers.

http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_b/B713/welcome.html

As an amateur herbal enthusiast my property is covered with medicinals.... I read read read.... I read on the internet and wont take info as gospel till i hear it from several sources. Even if I could identify a medicinal herb I would never partake of it because there is a science to dosage and use just as in Pharmacology. Many medicinals are toxic to some degree.

For instance Apples specifically their pits. "They contain amygdalin, a substance that releases cyanide when it comes into contact with human digestive enzymes." from the following article:

http://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/are-apple-seeds-poisonous#AppleSeedOil4

The conclusion is the amount ingested is far away from being enough to cause issues. If you are concerned err on the side of caution...
By the way Peach Apricot and many Drupes have the same chemical amygdalin. we dont eat the pits because the meat is bitter....

Almond is also a Drupe.... with inedible fruit.
some other unexpected drupes are
Walnut
Pecan
Hazel nut
Mango

There are also sites MERK is one
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/toxicology/poisonous_plants/houseplants_and_ornamentals.html

they offer a spread sheet on Range plants as well.,

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/t.../range_plants_of_temperate_north_america.html

But PLEASE everyone dont take my word for it or any one single person for that matter.... do your own research.... within your own sphere of habitat. Most animals have excellent taste receptors and listen to them. Chickens are one of them.

I have done the research for my area of the Sonoran Desert Yep San Diego County has a portion of that desert.

deb "Yes I am aware that Parsley and Cilantro are on the second list"