Daffodils and ducks and chickens.

[PirateGirl]

Each summer is an experiment in gardening and learning what grows well here and what doesn't, what produces and what doesn't, what prairie dogs and bunnies eat and what they don't.

Doing some online reading/research I found that many critters won't eat daffodils because they are toxic on some level. So this is great if I want them to survive the prairie dogs and rabbits, but are they safe to plant around my chickens and ducks? I have a couple different garden plots and I am deciding the best spot for them.

Thank you for any input.

Also I am specifically trying to find some flowers to plant near the coops on one side to sort of hide them and pretty them up for the neighbors. Not all of my neighbors are thrilled with my highly visible coops, and I like to try and grow things and make them look better for myself, so any suggestions on that would be good as well. One thing that grows well is catmint, which is also toxic to prairie dogs, but I'm not sure if it's safe for chickens and ducks. Like I said I have some garden plots that are out of reach of my fowl but I'd like to find things to plant close to the coops to make things look better too!

 

[chickengirl778]

Daffodils are HIGHLY TOXIC to chickens!!! They will die if they eat any part of them!
Nasturtium, sunflowers, fennel, thyme, lavender, and other herbs, as well as many other plants, are good for chickens!

 

[PirateGirl]

Daffodils are HIGHLY TOXIC to chickens!!! They will die if they eat any part of them!
Nasturtium, sunflowers, fennel, thyme, lavender, and other herbs, as well as many other plants, are good for chickens!

OK, so will the chickens eat the daffodils and die, or do they know not to eat them because they are toxic?

Also you list a bunch of other things that are good for chickens, but the question is, will the prairie dogs and rabbits eat these things or are the other herbs you list naturally resistant to our rodent pests?

As previously mentioned, I'm specifically looking for things that I can grow outside of my fort knox raised beds that the critters naturally won't eat. So far I have had success with catmint and sedum.

 

[chickengirl778]

I think it's best to assume they would eat them just in case. I'm not sure if any of those are rodent resistant. I think I have read that lavender helps repel mice?

 

[JedJackson]

Each summer is an experiment in gardening and learning what grows well here and what doesn't, what produces and what doesn't, what prairie dogs and bunnies eat and what they don't.

Doing some online reading/research I found that many critters won't eat daffodils because they are toxic on some level. So this is great if I want them to survive the prairie dogs and rabbits, but are they safe to plant around my chickens and ducks? I have a couple different garden plots and I am deciding the best spot for them.

Thank you for any input.

Also I am specifically trying to find some flowers to plant near the coops on one side to sort of hide them and pretty them up for the neighbors. Not all of my neighbors are thrilled with my highly visible coops, and I like to try and grow things and make them look better for myself, so any suggestions on that would be good as well. One thing that grows well is catmint, which is also toxic to prairie dogs, but I'm not sure if it's safe for chickens and ducks. Like I said I have some garden plots that are out of reach of my fowl but I'd like to find things to plant close to the coops to make things look better too!

Daffodils are toxic but chickens aren't likely to eat them. The leaves are thick and tough. They might try to take a nibble of the bright blossoms when they're in flower, so if you grow them, try to keep your chickens away when they're in flower.

I don't know what USDA zone you're in, so it's tough to know what to recommend planting. Also, I have no experience with prairie dogs. But rabbits and chickens will generally avoid eating anything with a strong smell, and that is mostly herbs. Thyme, lavender, rue, bean herb, hyssop, sage, artemisias. Rosemary is very good if you can grow it in your area. Euphorbias are good. Hardy geraniums. Catmint isn't toxic to chickens, and that is a good one. Probably agastaches. Maybe marigolds and chrysanthemums and feverfew. Alliums, including chives and Chinese chives. All are worth trying.

With rabbits, I find that putting a wire cage over the tender new growth works well. Once the plants are bigger and have tougher stems and leaves, rabbits will usually leave them alone, and they can usually make good any damage that's done at that point, anyway.

 

[PirateGirl]

Daffodils are toxic but chickens aren't likely to eat them. The leaves are thick and tough. They might try to take a nibble of the bright blossoms when they're in flower, so if you grow them, try to keep your chickens away when they're in flower.

I don't know what USDA zone you're in, so it's tough to know what to recommend planting. Also, I have no experience with prairie dogs. But rabbits and chickens will generally avoid eating anything with a strong smell, and that is mostly herbs. Thyme, lavender, rue, bean herb, hyssop, sage, artemisias. Rosemary is very good if you can grow it in your area. Euphorbias are good. Hardy geraniums. Catmint isn't toxic to chickens, and that is a good one. Probably agastaches. Maybe marigolds and chrysanthemums and feverfew. Alliums, including chives and Chinese chives. All are worth trying.

With rabbits, I find that putting a wire cage over the tender new growth works well. Once the plants are bigger and have tougher stems and leaves, rabbits will usually leave them alone, and they can usually make good any damage that's done at that point, anyway.

Thank you for the list. I will look further into some of these things, and some are already in the works! I am in zone 4b and at 10,000 ft so everything is tricky, but the more people I talk to, the more I find that works to try in place of some of the things that have failed. It was also recommended that I try to put half a milk jug over seedlings to create a little micro-climate for them and also protect them from the critters and the elements until they are bigger and stronger. I have some rosemary, garlic, chives, marigolds all to grow this year. We have lots of natural sagebrush growing (I know it's not the same variety most people cook with) as well as yarrow and some other wildflowers. I have seen sunflowers at neighbors' houses, so I have some of those to try as well. It's soooo hard though, it's one thing to deal with the climate but another thing entirely to deal with the critters. I did get a cat that I send out hunting, which has helped, but he hasn't caught anything in a few weeks now, he must have grown accustomed to the lazy indoor life over winter.

 

[PirateGirl]

I think it's best to assume they would eat them just in case. I'm not sure if any of those are rodent resistant. I think I have read that lavender helps repel mice?

I hadn't heard that about lavender, but I will look into growing some regardless provided it can survive in my climate zone. It would be lovely to have some lavender around. I may not chance the daffodils near the coop, but I do have another spot in mind that they may thrive in.

 

[PirateGirl]

Soooo, can I leave work yet to work on my garden, because it was raining and snowing and lightening on my most recent days off and I didn't get to accomplish much outdoors.

 

[lazy gardener]

I have lots of daffodils in my flower beds. And have planted them around all the trees in my orchard. The chooks will dig around the orchard trees and consume the garlic bulbils that I plant in mid summer. I have never had a chicken touch any part of a daffodil plant. Interesting that nothing will eat them. I had not noticed that before. Daffodils (and garlic) are reported to be a great deterrent for mice and voles to keep them from nibbling the tender bark of young trees.

I would not put daffodil leaves in the deep litter of the chicken run, but have absolutely no concern about the chickens eating them in the yard.

 

[PirateGirl]

I have lots of daffodils in my flower beds. And have planted them around all the trees in my orchard. The chooks will dig around the orchard trees and consume the garlic bulbils that I plant in mid summer. I have never had a chicken touch any part of a daffodil plant. Interesting that nothing will eat them. I had not noticed that before. Daffodils (and garlic) are reported to be a great deterrent for mice and voles to keep them from nibbling the tender bark of young trees.

I would not put daffodil leaves in the deep litter of the chicken run, but have absolutely no concern about the chickens eating them in the yard.

Thanks! This is what I needed to know. If they actually help keep away the voles that would be awesome too. Maybe I will plant them bordering my raised beds.

I had a scare last night because I thought the dog ate all the garlic I bought to plant, and in that quantity, could prove very sickly or fatal to the dog. Fortunately, although the dog got into my seeds and such, she did not actually eat all the garlic, I found it, and only the corner of the package was nibbled.