Newbie - black walnuts

[PaganFrogg61]

Hi Folks,

I'm new to the BYC site, I've raised chickens before but that was out on a mini farm Now I live in town
and am getting ready to get some hens for town life.

BUT.....there is a black walnut tree that hangs over my fence. I know the hulls are poisionous to animals; dogs, cats, horses
that may eat or chew on them. Would chickens be affected by this?

I have cut back several branches, it's not my tree, but there will always be some that fall in my yard.

Any advice?

Thanks
paganfrogg

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I have a HUGE black walnut hanging over my run. The walnuts fall right on the coop (tin roof=LOUD!) and into the run. The chickens never touch them. Not even after they've dried and broken apart. Shouldn't be a problem.

 

[donrae]

I have two black walnut trees (I'd like to wring the neck of whoever planted them!) and free ranged birds for years with no problems. The birds don't seem at all interested. The dogs have eaten them, though, without problems. I do know I can't grow strawberries near them

 

[K-12 Chickens]

I've got both a hickory nut and a walnut tree in the front yard and the chickens have never shone interest in the nuts at all. The nuts are too hard to eat and are probably unappetizing to chickens.

 

[Beka123]

If the hulls were really poisonous then I would have a few less stinking squirrels in my yard... I'm always finding those huge green balls with half eaten away and my poor dog is at her wit's end trying to figure out how to climb that dumb tree. Every Single Summer. that tree will be the end of one of us- me, the dog, or the squirrels...!

 

[Bullitt]

I have two black walnut trees (I'd like to wring the neck of whoever planted them!) and free ranged birds for years with no problems. The birds don't seem at all interested. The dogs have eaten them, though, without problems. I do know I can't grow strawberries near them

What's wrong with an American black walnut tree?

 

[Bullitt]

If the hulls were really poisonous then I would have a few less stinking squirrels in my yard...

What is poisonous to one animal or person may not be poisonous to another animal or person. People can eat chocolate, for example, but cocoa is poisonous to dogs.

I just did a search on the Internet. I found that many plants do not grow well around the black walnut tree. The black walnut hulls are also poisonous to some animals, including chickens. It can cause paralysis and even death.

I would suggest keeping the chickens away from the black walnut hulls, and cleaning up the hulls and getting rid of them when they are on the ground.