I was thinking of planting sweet potato vine to trail up my coop.....

[AmandaMBG]

I don't remember where it was unfortunately but I can tell you my ducks and chickens have been eating ornamental sweet potato vines almost daily for months and they love them.

Amanda, I'd love to see the sites you found to verify.  I, too, have been frustrated by the variety of information, and I don't know who to trust.  My chickens pretty much left the sweet potato vine alone until one day they seemed to "discover" it, and they ate an awful lot of leaves all in one day.  I've kept them away from it all week, and no ill effects I can see.  Anyway, did the research you did distinguish between actual sweet potato vines and "ornamental" sweet potato vines?  Ours are the ornamental variety.  Thanks in advance!

 

[joyj23]

Ik this post is super old but I decided to do some digging around on the Internet after reading this as I have the same vines planted along my chicken coop. Guess what I found out which is a BIG relief! Potato and sweet potato vines are not related. Sweet potato vines are actually high in protein and a great supplemental treat for your birds and other livestock! Do your own research before ripping out your plants!! Sometimes people on BYC don't know what they are talking about. This site can be a wealth of info but not always 100% accurate.

I know this is old but as of now I’m learning sweet potatoes OR ornamental sweet potatoes aren’t the nightshade family

 

[Al Gerhart]

Sounds like good idea but bee sure and keep the base trimmed to avoid creating a safe path for rats coming from their den to the food in the chicken pen.

People eat sweat potato leaves in a lot of countries. The chickens will be fine.