Calyptocarpus vialis AKA Horseherb AKA Straggler Daisy... safe or not?

[swga]

I live in the Austin area, and my yard is almost complete ground-cover of Horseherb. Is this safe to let my chickens eat? I have searched and searched, and as common as it is here, there is surprisingly little info on the toxicity of lack thereof of this little plant... Help...?

 

[swga]

Anybody? ......wind blows through a deserted street..... somewhere a lonely cricket chirps......

 

[Den in Penn]

Sorry lonely cricket. Being in the northeast I'm not familiar with the plant. I did a quick search myself and found nothing that said anything about toxicity. Chickens have a great ability to know what is bad for them when they free range. I think if I were doing it I would let one or two out to see what they do with it. I know you may not have any chickens to spare, but unless some one else comes along and knows better its the only thing I have to offer.

 

[chfite]

I believe that chickens will not eat anything bad, if they have a free choice of options of what to eat. Mine forage daily and don't eat some plants. I don't know why, but chickens have been around for a long time.

Right now, they are spending considerable time eating the seeds off of weeds around the yard. They are almost finished cleaning out the out of season vegetable garden.

Chris

 

[RoyalPayne]

'I believe that chickens will not eat anything bad,' I'm not so sure of that, I have a Auracana that absolutely will not leave toad stools alone. Twice this year I found her almost comatose, seperated her, put her in a dark place, and prayed. Twice she came out of it. Still lays, which I don't eat, sell, or throw away where something else might eat it. Into the land fill it goes. Hopefully no seagulls every find it.

 

[debid]

'I believe that chickens will not eat anything bad,' I'm not so sure of that, I have a Auracana that absolutely will not leave toad stools alone. Twice this year I found her almost comatose, seperated her, put her in a dark place, and prayed. Twice she came out of it. Still lays, which I don't eat, sell, or throw away where something else might eat it. Into the land fill it goes. Hopefully no seagulls every find it.

How awful!

Most chickens wouldn't eat a toadstool so the species survives by the few that would dying before they have a chance to reproduce and teach their chicks to do something so foolish.

It's impossible to say whether an individual chicken will eat something bad for it or not. The likelihood is much higher if they lack choices. I've seen my chickens eat toxic weeds (just a bite or two) but they quickly move on to eat a bite or two of the numerous other plants that are available. Some things they won't eat at all (like the daffodils). It seems that there is some instinct in action but some experimentation as well.

 

[RoyalPayne]

Yea, it was awful. She got a neat name out of it, though. S'room.