Goat Heads

[Toshiko24]

Sup BYC! ^_^

I just ordered my chickens from cacklehatchery on Monday 21st and am just waiting for my babies to get here <3 but I have been worrying about them free ranging in my yard. I have been fighting Goat Heads, or Grass Burrs, in my back yard since I bought this house and I have been keeping up on it very well and very slowly they are disappearing but there are still a LOT of the sticker seeds sitting around in the dirt. My poor dogs step on them all the time walking out to their bathroom corner and wandering the yard, and I have to come pull them out of their feet for them. What I am wondering is will my chickens try to eat them and if so will they hurt them?


This is just off Google for anyone that wasn't sure what a Goat Head was.

 

[aart]

I would suggest:
- that you add something to the thread title about thorny plants.
- that you include the real name of the plant or provide a link to where you got the pics.
- that you add your location to your profile.

All these things will get you much better answers.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

They probably won't be that much trouble for your chickens, but I would get rid of them to make it better for all involved. Use a hula hoe and pop the tops off of every one that sprouts. Within a few months to a year there will be no more goat head seeds left to sprout and they won't be a problem in your yard. After that you'll only have to kill the occasional one that is brought in.

​

 

[Norrisjl]

Sup BYC! ^_^

I just ordered my chickens from cacklehatchery on Monday 21st and am just waiting for my babies to get here <3 but I have been worrying about them free ranging in my yard. I have been fighting Goat Heads, or Grass Burrs, in my back yard since I bought this house and I have been keeping up on it very well and very slowly they are disappearing but there are still a LOT of the sticker seeds sitting around in the dirt. My poor dogs step on them all the time walking out to their bathroom corner and wandering the yard, and I have to come pull them out of their feet for them. What I am wondering is will my chickens try to eat them and if so will they hurt them?


This is just off Google for anyone that wasn't sure what a Goat Head was.

So….how is it going with the chickens and the goat heads?

 

[FlockVillemaire]

So….how is it going with the chickens and the goat heads?

The original commenter on this post did not reply, but I just expanded my too-small run for my 8 different heritage breed pullets (7 have now begun to lay, just waiting on my Cream Legbar now).
There was a goathead weed that a friend though I should remove immediately. I procrastinated another day, and it was already completely annihilated when I went to get it out!!! I doubt any seedlings will have a chance.