Kale and Cabbage on list of toxic plants?

[ccrow]

I do this with my chickens; it can be very useful to have them come when called! I start when they're small, giving some kind of treat while calling "Chick, chick, chick" and before long they learn that means something good. I also use specific containers for specific treats, such as a coffee can for sunflower chips, and a Glad disposable container for the mealworms... they get VERY excited when they see that one!!

 

[chickmomma16]

I feed my girls cabbage from time to time and have never noticed any problems.

I pierce it and run a cord through it and hang it so they can have fun with it as they eat it.

I have given mine cabbage and then they end up with diarrhea...

 

[chickmomma16]

My chickens eat layer food and I give them egg shells and cabbage scrap with carrots and bread. I have noticed that when cabbage is given they have diarrhea... Why is this? They also aren't laying eggs daily... Why. They are a year old...

 

[ctbicking]

They are on other lists as safe for birds. I have fed both and they seem super healthy.
http://www.parrot-and-conure-world.com/non-toxic-for-birds.html
Mine especially go nuts for leaves of cauliflower, in same family, and I am now feeding them my fall crop.

I’m so confused! One place says it’s great to feed chickens parsley as a natural antibiotic, another site says it’s toxic! Same with apple seeds and kale. My girls love these foods! I guess I’ll feed them to them as I always do, in moderation. Sigh...

 

[rjohns39]

Almost everything we eat contains some form of toxin, Apple seeds contain cyanide, I eat whole apples, seeds and all and am still here. The issue boils down to the concentration of the toxins, which is one of the reasons it's recommended that treats not make up more than 10% of total diet. Back a page is a good post. Kale, Cabbage, etc are in the same family as canola and contains a toxin that I can't spell or pronounce. Before Canola was named canola, they worked to reduce the level of the toxin in the plants. Even with the reduced toxicity, they found that birds who had feeds with high concentrations of canola meal and ate a lot of kale, cabbage, etc developed thyroid problems.

Birds eat to fulfill their nutritional needs, not hunger. As a general rule of thumb they won't eat something that will hurt them. There are plenty of exceptions to that general rule. You're probably safe if you follow the 10% rule I mentioned earlier.