we are getting ready to move our chickens out to their coop and run but it has a huge wisteria vine that crawls around 2 sides of where we were going to put them. Does this mean we have to rethink our spot? Help!
It's toxic in large quantity, the seeds especially, and especially to humans, but overall a quite low risk to animals it seems. They can process many toxins we can't.
Many people on this site have their animals including chickens and ducks eating wisteria flowers, leaves, etc, regularly and have never had problems. That said I wouldn't let them regularly eat it in large amounts just in case.
Just trim the bits they can reach and you should be fine, probably.... That, and providing the circumstances to educate them on freeranging or at the very least wise dietary choices if you're not going to free range them; that's a very good idea to ensure your chooks have longevity. If they don't know what's safe to eat, sooner or later something will get them.
Chooks that live in cages don't have world-smarts and will eat things free range chooks never would, especially if those things grow within reach of their cages. They need greens in the diet to be truly healthy and if all they can access is poisonous greens their instincts will drive them to eat those anyway. For many chooks, that is, not necessarily all.
Slow, low-dose and limited exposure is a good way to start, so no chicken can eat a large dose in one go, and their biological feedback mechanisms should have the time necessary to tell them whether or not they should consume more. The main risk is when they have the opportunity to gorge on something new, or are so deprived that they abandon caution in their enthusiasm.
Some toxicity signs one could expect for some species:
Quote:
Toxicity: Toxic to Dogs, Toxic to Cats, Toxic to Horses
Toxic Principles: Lectin, wisterin glycoside
Clinical Signs: Vomiting (sometimes with blood), diarrhea, depression
Hardly a serious toxin threat there; out of all pets and livestock people commonly keep, it only names the three most vulnerable. Most other species cope far better than dogs, cats and horses with just about everything.
Best wishes.
