Cocoa mulch OK for chickens?

[dskinla]

I'm not quite sure where to post this, but does anybody know if chickens can be harmed by cocoa mulch used in garden beds? There is a lot of information about keeping dogs and cats away from cocoa mulch because of the theobromine it may contain (some brands claim to have purged all the theobromine by steamng), but I haven't found anything yet about chickens. Thanks for any info.

Debra

 

[sammi]

JMHO...I wouldn't use it.

 

[dskinla]

Hi sammi,
I agree, to be on the safe side, I wouldn't use it with chickens, but it's just that I'm planning on getting a few chooks and I've been using cocoa mulch in my yard for a few years now, so I'm trying to find out if I need to remove it before letting the birds free range.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Chocolate is also toxic to parrots, because of the theobromine.

 

[dskinla]

I didn't know that about parrots ... it's not looking good for chickens and cocoa mulch. Thanks for the info.