Chickens eating garden stuffs

[TheChickMan]

I am planting a big garden this year and am going to fence it in. I am trying to plant any edible food that I can get my hands. Is there any food that would be bad for chickens if I let them range in the garden in the fall?

 

[Maev]

From what I've read the foliage of the nightshade family is a problem for chickens. So pull up the tomato plants and other nightshade plants before you let them in.

 

[TheChickMan]

wow thanx for the info i was gonna have a lot of tomaters better put them some where else or built small moveable paddocks like they do for cattle

 

[Albanese07]

Eggplants are in the tomato family so pull those too!

 

[triplepurpose]

I think it far more likely that the chickens would just avoid the nightshade plants altogether. I wouldn't worry about that at all. I've thrown whole tomato plants into the coop for the chickens to eat the tomatoes left on them, and the simply ate the fruits and left the leaves alone (they probably taste so awful and bitter anyway that no bird would eat them--I've certainly never seen one take so much as a nibble). If chickens were that easy to poison there wouldn't be any chickens left alive today--they know very well what to eat and what not to, in my experience.

 

[92Pony]

........--they know very well what to eat and what not to, in my experience.

^ This.

 

[Florida_country_boy]

Growing rare tomatoes and peppers(both nightshade) is my main hobby above chickens. I knew the plants were toxic when I got into chickens, but took the risk anyway, and I have never had a problem. They do not eat the leaves of the tomato plants, but they do occaisonally eat pepper leaves. I was more worried about them eating the fruit that I make food with.

Also, I read on here that chickens are immune to caspium, so I gave the chickens a Ghost Chile. HAHA, they are not immune to that level of heat, and they have never touched my peppers. They love tomatoes however, but when all your plants are 10ft tall, you dont have to worry.

 

[locke2121]

Growing rare tomatoes and peppers(both nightshade) is my main hobby above chickens. I knew the plants were toxic when I got into chickens, but took the risk anyway, and I have never had a problem. They do not eat the leaves of the tomato plants, but they do occaisonally eat pepper leaves. I was more worried about them eating the fruit that I make food with.

Also, I read on here that chickens are immune to caspium, so I gave the chickens a Ghost Chile. HAHA, they are not immune to that level of heat, and they have never touched my peppers. They love tomatoes however, but when all your plants are 10ft tall, you dont have to worry.

I can't think of ANYTHING that is immune to that much heat...over one million on the Scoville scale....heck the average jalapeno is only about 3500 lol. And most people jump around after eating one of those.

 

[Florida_country_boy]

wow thanx for the info i was gonna have a lot of tomaters better put them some where else or built small moveable paddocks like they do for cattle

You might want to build an Earth-Tainer, its like an earth-box, but you make it yourself out of rubbermaid containers. It's alot better suited for tomatoes than an earth-box, and your plants will be huge! Last year I had a Super-Sweet 100 get to 16ft tall. This also makes the plants portable to some degree. You could also wrap them with chicken wire.

I can't think of ANYTHING that is immune to that much heat...over one million on the Scoville scale....heck the average jalapeno is only about 3500 lol. And most people jump around after eating one of those.

I've only ate a whole one once, and I almost had to go to the hospital due to the severe stomach cramps, and I have a high tolerance!