garden chickens grazing safety

[Talildas]

My girls graze on our garden. I'm learning tomato plants and eggplants are nightshade. Is it safe for them to peck at these plants? I also have pokeweed which is wild and Google says poisonous to some livestock but I couldn't find any evidence of toxicity to chickens. Birds love the berries. Any guidance appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Aapomp831]

Most chickens have a sixth sense about these things; an instinctual knowing of what they can eat and what to avoid. I would take some time to observe your flock, bc like everything there can be exceptions. Watch and see what they do - pecking at it is one thing, and ingesting a little out of curiosity is fine. You want to make sure they’re not chowing down on these plants. Most likely instinct will tell them no (my chickens eat the whole apple except for the seeds, so I’ve witnessed this sixth sense in action), but it’s best to observe.
I’m curious, though... how are you going to keep a nice garden with chickens roaming through it? They will eat all the flowers before the fruits and veggies get a chance to grow.... plus they will scratch in it and possibly damage plants and roots??

 

[Talildas]

This makes so much sense. Thank you for the reminder of their sixth sense and actually how intelligent they really are. Being a first timer I wasn't too concerned about the garden. Learning this year. We have very limited planting. Next year we already have a different plan.

 

[Aapomp831]

Ok bc I was gonna say- chickens and gardens don’t mix! I know some people make gardens specifically for their chickens, but idk how they get them to let the plants mature with all those yummy tomato and squash blossoms

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Assuming you’re planting annuals, chickens are great for putting a garden to bed for winter.

They’ll eat or shred left over plants or weeds, eat seeds and bugs, scratch and turn the soil, and even fertilize.