Chickens and poison ivy

[tryingtohaveitall]

I am eager to hear the answer to the safe spray question as well. We have 5 acres with plenty of the nasty stuff. Just today I was trying to put a pullet back in the run and she ran through a patch of it, darn it! At least I saw her go through it so the son and I washed as soon as we got her back in the run.

 

[Imp]

I don't use many chemicals in the backyard, but on occasion I need to beat back the neighbor's weeds. I spray, but just do it after the chickens are in the coop. If I'm spraying the ground I make sure it gets well watered in.

Imp- last week I sprayed the driveway with "safe" clove oil. Said it would kill all plants in 1 hour. I think safe meant for the weeds.

Course now the driveway smells like pumpkin pie.

 

[GrannyPat]

I bought some weed killer not long ago that's supposed to kill poison ivy too but haven't used it yet because I was concerned it might hurt my chickens when I put them out there soon. I wish there was something natural that would kill poison ivy. We've had a very wet Spring so far here in the Smokies so we have a bumper crop of poison ivy right now.

Most of the replies I've gotten seem to say that chickens will eat poison ivy but if it just keeps coming back and they also can spread it then it looks like I'll never be rid of the stuff like I was hoping for. I am extremely allergic to it too and also poison oak which I also have in my woods. I guess that's the price I have to pay for being a big tree lover. And, don't worry, I have no plans to eat any even though those two guys swore that it works. Here's a good laugh for you......I want rid of it so badly that in the past I even thought about using a flame thrower on it. Then, I realized I would probably burn down my woods.

GrannyPat

 

[PunkinPeep]

since we're talking about poison ivy, i have another question. my husband and i are both not allergic to it. we realized recently that we have scads of it (we didn't know what it looked like before) and had been handling it, but were completely unaffected.

thing is, we were also burning it to get rid of the vines. how are we supposed to dispose of it? can i compost it? would that be ok?

i don't want to hurt people who are allergic to it like a lot of you are.

thanks

 

[Boondachs]

OMG DO NOT BURN IT! sorry for caps but please do not burn it, it will get into the respitory system of anything that breathes it.
As far as composting it, I don't know on that. I would be afraid of it taking root again, nasty stuff!

 

[ChooksChick]

DON'T burn it- it's done awful things to people that way. And animals, I imagine.

Bag it up and have it hauled away with trash.

I'm not allergic, but I know that's just a statement about sensitivity- the oil is actually a toxin for everything alive, it's just that some are more sensitive than others.

One way to get rid of smaller plants is to wear good rubber gloves and use plastic bags to pull all of the plants you can up by the roots. Turn the bags inside out when you have pulled them up, and knot each bag, then toss into another bag to dispose.

I'm not fond of using all of this plastic, but it's a safe way for someone who is sensitive.

Remaining roots can be sprayed with ammonia or vinegar.

Another way- for the tree or vine form- is to cut through it as close to the ground as possible and soak it heavily in ammonia or vinegar- supposedly it pulls some of it in and will then weaken or die.

This has worked well for me when I've helped others out- I'm 'not allergic' and have a friend who is plagued by it and can't even touch English Ivy for her sensitivity to ivies.

 

[PunkinPeep]

Quote:

OMG DO NOT BURN IT! sorry for caps but please do not burn it, it will get into the respitory system of anything that breathes it.
As far as composting it, I don't know on that. I would be afraid of it taking root again, nasty stuff!

Haha, yeah i know not to burn it NOW. Now that i know it's poison ivy. And to rest your minds, i'm pretty sure that we live far enough away from others that the smoke went up before it was able to reach any sensitive creature lungs. But now that i know it's poison ivy, i have to change my ways. That's why i'm trying to figure out what to do with it now. Thanks for the suggestions about ammonia and vinegar. I will have to get my hands on some ammonia. Somehow vinegar doesn't sound strong enough to me.

Thanks a lot for the info. I think i am going to try to compost it. I compost in a rubber maid container, so it couldn't possibly take root. If anyone knows of a reason NOT to compost it. Let me know.​

 

[annek]

I wouldn't compost it either, that sap stays viable for a long time. If anyone who was sensitive to it (ie ME) came over your house and was helping you out in the garden and inadvertently came across an old limb or leave in your mulch while you were showing me your beautiful flowers-bam a few hours later welts galore!

Please just pull it up, bag it and keep after the area and just keep pulling it up. Eventually it will get better.

My first year here I put on long sleeves, rubber gloves and went out to pull this stuff up. (poison oak) Well, it was hot that day and I kept sweating with the long sleeves and all and you guessed it. Even though I was careful just to wipe my face on my upper sleeve by the next morning it looked as if I had gone a few rounds with mike tyson. (my ear was okay, just a swollen face, esp. my eyes). Since then, I spray, and spray and try not to ever touch anything close to it. Haven't had it yet this year but I am sure I will. One of lifes little pleasures.

 

[JerseyFresh]

Sensitivity to Poison Ivy can differ per person over time.
We bought a house last year with a ton of this stuff in the yard and it didn't affect me at all as I yanked/cut/fought all summer long. In late august my sensitivity failed and I got a wicked rash on both arms and had areas on my torso and legs as well. Probably the worst physical experience of my life and it lasted a bit more than two weeks.

About 25% of the population is immune but I think it's only temporary.
Good luck and watch out

 

[Uppity Peon]

If you end up letting the chickens out into the poison ivy areas you should invest in a big bottle of tecnu, and wash up with that after handling the birds.

http://www.teclabsinc.com/products.cfm?id=1F5604C8-9D05-4675-56129F6D83DF2417