Milkweed and Honesuckle

[kitchenwdinah]

We have 3 ducklings, Cayugas. We are about to move them outside. My backyard has a large honesuckle bush and I have several milkweed plants. Do I need to remove these plants? I have seen both on the toxic for birds list, however, many people say that their chickens and ducks love honesuckle. As for the milkweed, it's common around swamp areas which I assume ducks live. Will they likely just leave it alone if it is toxic? I am interested in actual experience with these plants and if people have had trouble with their ducks ingesting them.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I don’t have either plants you mentioned but I can say Fox glove is on that list and I didn’t want to chance it so I dug all of mine up and gave them away.

 

[The Dapper Duck]

No experience with the milkweed, though I suspect that they would not find it palatable enough to poison themselves given the latex in the sap. My ducks leave the honeysuckle alone as a food item but they did like it as a nest cover.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

I have swamp milkweed and butterfly weed in my yard. The ducks leave it alone. They do try to catch the butterflies that land on it though!
Also, if they eat milkweed it should only make them sick to their stomachs not kill them.