Help - Chicken at Deadly Nightshade Berry

[Folly's place]

And permethrin spray is the best for killing mites! DE is not your friend here.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

I hope we are discussing the same plant; pretty sub-shrub with purple leaf undersides, tiny white flowers, and green berries turning purple. It can get 2'x2' here if I don't find it fast enough.
Mary

 

[MissChick@dee]

Only DE. They seem to be greatly reduced. The molt is helping. I also really cleaned everything and DE on the other girls, too. I might need to go more severe if they keep up. But wanted to go the least toxic method first.

I too use DE. But NOT for mites...DE does not kill the eggs. You’ll be fighting a battle you just cannot win it will be a constant cycle of frustration and poor health for your birds. When you have a infestation DE just can’t handle it.

 

[jojoyoyo]

Many birds eat nightshade berries, it's how the plant turns up everywhere! I have it here, and pull it out and bag it up whenever found, BUT it's still available to my chickens all late summer and fall, because it come up so fast. Nobody here has had a problem. Your bird is likely just fine.
I find that it comes up under trees were wild birds drop the seeds, and in disturbed soil if it's damp. Apparently the seeds are viable for a VERY LONG time!
Mary

The Deadly Nightshade that we have is: Solanum nigrum L. It's listed in Gail Damerow's Chicken Encyclopedia as toxic to chickens.

 

[Folly's place]

I just google it, and it's common name is 'black nightshade', not deadly nightshade, which is a different, MUCH more toxic plant. The Solanum nigrum is the plant I was talking about, and it's not listed as necessarily awful. I stand by my original comments, and my experience with this plant here for decades.
I would never eat it myself!
Mary

 

[MissChick@dee]

The Deadly Nightshade that we have is: Solanum nigrum L. It's listed in Gail Damerow's Chicken Encyclopedia as toxic to chickens.

There’s toxic or poisonous. Toxic is the least harmful of the “ratings” given. My birds have nibbled on toxic plants from time to time. Recently Irises. BECAUSE I had to throw out all my Romaine!!!!! Lol
They’ll be fine...probably have a tummy ache.

 

[Folly's place]

Free ranging birds are pretty good at avoiding nasty plants, with so many other choices available. Throwing a pile of poisonous plants into their run while confined is a whole separate issue!
Most of us have various toxic plants out there, both planted on purpose, and volunteers, and the chickens do pretty well anyway.
I'm not an herbalist, and I can find deadly plants in nearly every back yard around here, including mine.
Mary

 

[jojoyoyo]

Ours do free-range, but supervised, which is how I saw her eat the berry from one of the two scraggly plants that somehow made it past my diligent eradication from our yard this spring/summer/fall. Here's a link to the different types of nightshade plants. http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/PNW588/PNW588.pdf I think ours is either the hairy or black, or a hybrid. Regardless, I gave our girl some charcoal and brought her inside for observation (we have a puppy playpen for such emergencies). She's a bit sleepy, but it's night. So, I'm hopeful.

 

[jojoyoyo]

It’s been 24 hours and Gabrielle seems fine. Yay! Thanks for all your help, everyone. What a great group.

 

[aart]

It’s been 24 hours and Gabrielle seems fine. Yay! Thanks for all your help, everyone. What a great group.

Whew! Glad she's OK.
Did you do anything to 'detox'?