Morning glorys? Danger for flock desert?

[Sissy]

we are almost done with the big coop in fact Dh is
in the final hour of
installing the door which I will be able to walk into . and our
ladies are ready to burst in to it any minute.
. I would like to plant Morning glorys around it.
but I am concerned that they may not be safe for the ladies if they should decide to nip here and there a leaf or flower.has anyone heard of a danger of planting to close to the coop.I have taken pictures but still havent mastered the transfer from camera to this toy.Now Ihave a picture Ph. and pics
are all just sitting in there,
Are there certain plants not to be put too
close to the flock? any ideas. Anyone?

 

[ShaggysGirl]

I'm not sure but you can check here
http://www.poultryhelp.com/toxicplants.html

 

[ShaggysGirl]

seems they are no good
MORNING GLORIES (Ipomea spp.); entire plant; plant contains LSD-related hallucinogens; may contain toxic levels of nitrates.

 

[Chicks_N_Horses]

I have bizillions of morning glories and chickens.....No chicken has ever been sick or died from them. I don't even think they peck at these at all.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

I have them growing all over the fence of my run. The girls don't even bother with them. The only thing they have done with them has been use them as a ladder to climb up and over the fence to the outside!!!

 

[CMV]

You'll find a lot of plants may contain toxic levels of nitrates- carrots, for instance- and as far as the LSD-related hallucinogens go, I believe those are concentrated in the seeds, so as long as you keep the chickens away from the seeds they will probably be fine.

I have noticed that a lot of the toxic plants on that list on http://www.poultryhelp.com/toxicplants.html
are completely ignored by chickens. I got a look at that list after I had chickens running around my yard for a year. I nearly freaked out when I realized that more than half my yard contained toxic plants. I then realized that my chickens completely ignored them. Try the morning glories and if the chickens get into them, then remove them. I would definitely remove them before they drop their seeds, though.

 

[CityChook]

Quote:
Same for me. I have gardens all over my yard and lots of the plants listed on that list are in my garden. I found that the chickens leave them alone, which is good news for my gardens. Now, my hosta, that's a whole different story...

If you really have your heart set on morning glories around your run, maybe have a brace for them to grow up that is away from the run wire for the first 2 ft. or so. Then let them train onto the wire. Anything above that probably couldn't be reached from them anyways. And then you'll need to deadhead to remove any seeds from falling into the run.

There are lots of vining plants that can be installed around your run that wouldn't be toxic if you're coming from an aesthetics POV.

 

[The Chicken Man]

As others said, the main danger in Morning-Glories are their seeds, which contain hallucinogenic properties, and can be fatal in large quantities. Commercial seed companies also coat the seeds in a fungicide to discourage use as a drug. While seeds from your plants technically aren't poisonous, I still wouldn't risk it, and keep it on the safe side.

An interesting alternative is the Purple Passion Vine. Many varieties are edible.

http://www.plant-care.com/passiflora-passion-vine.html


I Love Morning Glories - there are so many beautiful varieties (Mt. Fuji, Milky Way, and just plain old Heavenly Blue) - but I would still wait to hear some more advice before I'd plant them next to my coop.