Did my angel's trumpets kill my chickens?

[bendystar]

I had a small flock of 11 chickens for about 5 years and slowly over about 6 months to a year they all died with the apparent symptoms of Merrick's Disease...I have a flourishing Angel's Trumpets in in the coop area where the chickens roam. I just looked up the symptoms of Angel's Trumpet poisoning and not I'm beginning to wonder if I lost my flock to poison instead of Merricks. I've waited 6 months since the last death and now I have 3 new chicks. I don't want them to have the same fate! I also have a flowering ornamental potato vine in the coop area that the chickens love to eat. The chickens seemed to leave the trumpet alone- but maybe I was wrong.

Does anyone have any insight into this? Thanks

 

[chooks4life]

It is highly toxic and if it's in the coop best remove it. Caged animals will eat things free range animals are very unlikely to touch. Chickens like many animals receive rapid physiological feedback from taste testing which tells them to either eat or not eat something. Since nutrient profiles and toxin levels fluctuate according to many factors they may taste test the same plants over and over again. Some plants are too toxic to taste test even once.

Caged animals often suffer stunted and weakened and even confused instincts due to lack of being able to employ the natural feedback system that either reinforces instincts as valid and worth passing on to offspring or no longer necessary. Extra care should be taken with caged animals' diets as they often eat things they shouldn't.

It's impossible to say for sure if it was Mareks' or the Trumpet, though, you'd need to have your birds tested, and perhaps the corpses are too far gone for that. If it was Mareks' the disease will still be present in the soil, it can persist for a long time. Vaccination doesn't guarantee protection against it and can cause the symptoms to be prolonged and hidden. Due to how toxic the plant is it's a good idea to be rid of it anyway, it kills children regularly when they pick the blooms and get sap on them.

Best wishes.