Chickens and poison ivy

[LittleMissCountry]

So we have a ton of poison ivy popping out on the perimeter of our yard, and in the little wooded area where the chicken coop is located. We don't want to spray weed killer since the chickens free range in the yard. However, the chickens seem to love the poison ivy, and eat it, run through it, hide in it, etc. My DH got poison ivy from picking up a chicken. Any ideas on management?

 

[azygous]

Oh boy. If anyone, and your husband apparently is, allergic to poison ivy, you need to get rid of it. Chickens may love it and obviously aren't affected by the resin, but the resin can be transmitted on their feathers to your skin and clothing and can contaminate skin from there.

And don't discount becoming allergic to it after repeated exposure. The more you come into contact with it, the more likely you will be to develop an allergy to it.

There are safe herbicides (not the same as insecticides) that you can use around chickens. 2-4D is one of the safest after it has dried. This herbicide works, not by poisoning the plant, but by causing the plant to grow so fast that it does itself in. The drawback is it won't kill the roots until after you've attacked the plants for several seasons, depriving the root systems of nourishment from photosynthesis that the dead foliage won't be able to accomplish.

The good news is that 2-4D is relatively inexpensive and goes a long way. It also quickly breaks down in the environment with no lasting residue. You just want to keep it out of any water sources.

 

[snowflake]

interesting, it doesn't effect the chickens when they eat it even though it is dry?......how about the eggs?......
I have a great dislike for poison ivy and I think I would keep the chickens confined for a couple weeks and poison it off. You can't burn it. that is just as bad as rolling in it.
bag it up when it is dead. wear long cloths and gloves!

 

[azygous]

I wonder about the eggs, too. The poison resin might be transmitted to the eggs, and I can tell you from experience, you do not ever want to have the allergic reaction internally.

 

[snowflake]

x2

 

[LittleMissCountry]

Oh boy. If anyone, and your husband apparently is, allergic to poison ivy, you need to get rid of it. Chickens may love it and obviously aren't affected by the resin, but the resin can be transmitted on their feathers to your skin and clothing and can contaminate skin from there.

And don't discount becoming allergic to it after repeated exposure. The more you come into contact with it, the more likely you will be to develop an allergy to it.

There are safe herbicides (not the same as insecticides) that you can use around chickens. 2-4D is one of the safest after it has dried. This herbicide works, not by poisoning the plant, but by causing the plant to grow so fast that it does itself in. The drawback is it won't kill the roots until after you've attacked the plants for several seasons, depriving the root systems of nourishment from photosynthesis that the dead foliage won't be able to accomplish.

The good news is that 2-4D is relatively inexpensive and goes a long way. It also quickly breaks down in the environment with no lasting residue. You just want to keep it out of any water sources.

Good to know...I will have to get some asap. I have never had poison ivy and have been around it a lot as a kid, but who knows if I do as an adult. DH is affected terribly.

 

[LittleMissCountry]

interesting, it doesn't effect the chickens when they eat it even though it is dry?......how about the eggs?......
I have a great dislike for poison ivy and I think I would keep the chickens confined for a couple weeks and poison it off. You can't burn it. that is just as bad as rolling in it.
bag it up when it is dead. wear long cloths and gloves!

Didn't even think about the eggs. Mine are not laying yet...only 14 weeks old. So now would be a good time to kill the poison ivy off. We can put them in the portable run in the yard for awhile and keep them out of that area until it is gone. Do you think it would be safe to use a stronger poison, like Round Up, if we confine them for a few weeks? I would like to get rid of it before they start laying, or the kids get into it.

 

[LittleMissCountry]

Oh and we know not to burn it. DH grew up on a farm where they had to burn pastures occasionally and once he was managing a burn where there was poison ivy all over. He said it was one of the worst experiences of his life.

 

[Dayrel]

Not sure about safety for chickens, but they make special poison ivy/oak/sumac versions. They use a different formulation than basic Roundup, however.

 

[LittleMissCountry]

Not sure about safety for chickens, but they make special poison ivy/oak/sumac versions. They use a different formulation than basic Roundup, however.

Really? I had never heard of that. I will have to look it up. I will have to do some research about safety for chickens.