Is this vine poisonous?

[WthrLady]

pokeweed/inkberry is so invasive that I yank it immediately upon seeing it anyway.

 

[My Three Chicks]

Some plants are poisonous in large quantities only (not an issue if the chickens are eating little bits).

Some plants have poisonous parts but other parts are safe (example: potato leaves are poisonous, but the actual potatoes are fine so long as they are not green.)

Some parts are poisonous, but the chickens would not really eat them anyway (example: avocado pits, which are too large for a chicken to swallow and generally cannot be opened or broken up by chickens.)

But many such things end up on "do not feed" lists, even when they are not really a problem. (The authors of those lists seem to use logic like this: "Potato leaves are toxic, and green potatoes are toxic-- so we'll tell people to avoid all potatoes, even though most potatoes available to most people are just fine.")

You would need to be more careful if you intended to grind something up and mix large amounts into the chickens' main food, but when chickens are just allowed access to things and can choose for themselves whether to eat it, they usually do a good job of eating safe things and avoiding problems.

Thank you for the info! I'm new to chickens. Raising my first flock since last April so I am still learning a lot.

 

[Windrider]

I scanned the thread, but I didn't see where anyone had identified your vine. It is Ficus pumila, known as Climbing or Creeping Fig. Although my field botany professor always jokingly called it Galloping Fig since a few planted by the school library completely engulfed the building in a few years. Here in our moderate climate in LA, it will swallow whole multistory buildings, pull down wood fences, and provide nesting spots for the LA roof rats. I don't like the stuff, but have to admit it has its place covering freeway sound walls.

Most ficus have sap that can irritate a human's skin. I think most sites list it as non-toxic to birds.