Is this ivy what I think it is?

[Folly's place]

We have bumper crops of both poison ivy and Virginia creeper here, and wild grapevines, all mixed together in the same places. All attractive plants, actually, and hard to remove, because of the poison ivy ! I understand that some people are sensitive to the Virginia creeper sap, fortunately not including any of us.
Given many other choices, I doubt that chickens will get sick on any of it.
And deadly nightshade! We have that too, and at least it pulls out easily. Another pretty plant...
Mary

 

[nao57]

Ok, I have another question about the Virginia creeper. My chicken just started laying a week ago, and the eggs have a chemically aftertaste. I thought that switching feed would solve the problem, but they still taste bad! Could the Virginia creeper be causing this? I don’t think she eats it that often if at all? But maybe I’m wrong.

Well...

I don't know how your chickens are but mine eat the same stuff with each other.

So if it was the virginia creeper as the cause, then wouldn't the other chickens that ate it with her also have a weird egg after taste?

You could check this by keeping the eggs separate to tell who is from what, etc and then see if the others have that also. You should be able to know within a day or two if that's the case.

You can also think about who in your family has a good nose and tongue to help you with this. (My dad has NO smell at all. Same with brother. But others of us can smell good. My brother's taste is all screwed up from drinking beer too much though. So if you ask some people you may get the wrong answer on the right items.)

 

[deidreg]

This is tangential but I think this thread has solved a mystery. I've been pulling out Virginia creeper this year and am experiencing a second round of skin rashes. (Bad enough to go on prednisone.) Even though I always wear gloves, long sleeves, and wash with Technu, my arms are a mess again.

I know what poison ivy looks like and have been very careful when I see it. So I'm guessing I'm sensitive to the Virginia creeper. BTW--my hens nibble on it a bit and have been fine.

 

[nao57]

This is tangential but I think this thread has solved a mystery. I've been pulling out Virginia creeper this year and am experiencing a second round of skin rashes. (Bad enough to go on prednisone.) Even though I always wear gloves, long sleeves, and wash with Technu, my arms are a mess again.

I know what poison ivy looks like and have been very careful when I see it. So I'm guessing I'm sensitive to the Virginia creeper. BTW--my hens nibble on it a bit and have been fine.

Virginia Creeper can be a skin irritant.

 

[howdyitsmia]

Well...

I don't know how your chickens are but mine eat the same stuff with each other.

So if it was the virginia creeper as the cause, then wouldn't the other chickens that ate it with her also have a weird egg after taste?

You could check this by keeping the eggs separate to tell who is from what, etc and then see if the others have that also. You should be able to know within a day or two if that's the case.

You can also think about who in your family has a good nose and tongue to help you with this. (My dad has NO smell at all. Same with brother. But others of us can smell good. My brother's taste is all screwed up from drinking beer too much though. So if you ask some people you may get the wrong answer on the right items.)

That would be a good thing to test out, but she’s the only one laying at the moment. She started 4 weeks earlier than I thought she would