poisonous plants

[vermontygirlz]

does anyone know if there are any plants that would be considered poisonous to chickens? I'm getting pullet this week and they will be living in my backyard with all the perennials that are out there, any I should remove for chicken safety? Thanks

 

[LilyD]

This was the link that I was given when I had the exact same question

http://www.poultryhelp.com/toxicplants.html

Hope it is as helpful to you as it was to me

 

[mcsfarms]

this list (website) was very helpful. we were going to free range our girls, but we have about 20 of those plants planted in our backyard. Free Range and take out most of the plantings in our yard or build a big pen they can spend the day in and we can move it around to different spots. Guess its time to build a daytime playpen

 

[vermontygirlz]

a lot of those plants listed are everywhere wild in New England! how have chickens survived so long? what is the likelihood that chickens will go after my garlic and rhubarb? any suggestions to keep them out of the raised beds?

 

[LilyD]

I was told that as long as they have a large enough area to roam in they tend to leave the plants that are toxic alone the only problem would be if they didn't have a lot of space then they might try them just because they ran out of grass.

 

[scratchpeck]

That list has cabbage and the other brassicas on it. Huh? I thought those were considered classic chicken treats.....

I can see that the stuff that is super poisonous for humans is probably just as bad for them (Angel's Trumpet for one), but they list stuff that I always thought was ok in moderation. I'm confused.

 

[vermontygirlz]

thats how I feel, confused. Glad to hear if they have room they are smarter than we think and won't eat the bad plants. It looks like a lot of them listed are more a skin irritant than anything.

 

[Marshchick]

WOW - that list makes it almost impossible to free range here. Our chicks have a huge area to free range in, and I like the idea that they'll figure out what they can eat and what they can't. I want to keep them safe, but yikes! That list is like looking up a symptom on the internet and everything leads to cancer.

 

[FoodKillah]

this list is very extended and it does not mean that a chicken will die if it pecks some of those plants.

tobacco is toxic and we still smoke it, chew on it even sniff it (well i do) along with other toxic habbits.

i have fed my chickens potato peels and raw onion for months and they are still ok, i did this because i didnt know potato peels can go bad easily and become very poisonus if their exposed to the sun.

i also have a fenced vegetable garden and they have intruded it several times, but they never pecked the onions, the tomato plants or the peppers.

like you all have said i agree that if the chicken has no other options but a tomato plant, she will start eating it.

one of the reasons i left some weeds hanging around in the yard where they free range, i also found the toxic weeds and i patrol and remove them asap, they never seem to eat those tho.

dont go crazy with that list, it indicates what plants are toxic to chickens, it doesnt mean they are all fatal in any quantities, i believe the chickens know better