poke weed and poke berries

[tinkerbell265]

Good to know because mine were all over it today! I was a little worried...

 

[luvmyfowl]

My free rangers seek out the poke week in the pasture and eat the berries. The leghorns get the stains on their necks from all the gorging. They have been doing this for years, spreading the poke weed seeds in their poop. Nothing has happened to them. And we have new chicks as well. Chickens are awesome and know what to eat.

 

[Loamette]

Ok, I've just picked some poke weed, what is the best way to cook it? It seems wasteful to pour off the water, since (I think) the oxalic acid is completely neutralized with heat. But I'm just guessing. Going to give the big leaves to my chickens!

 

[karenerwin]

One of my roosters likes to eat it as well. He looks like a leghorn, but I don't really know what he is, other than ornery!

 

[dem chickenz]

I have a fence around my back 2 acres that is overgrown with poke weed my hens waddle down the fence eating the berries and my rooster jumps off the ground and plucks them off, they eat so many the inside of my coop is purple, the birds are fine but the egg yokes look like they are runny and scrambled inside the yoke sack and the yoke sack is weak or thin and they usually bust when cracked

 

[jmbwholesale]

Poke is not actually poisonous. It is very high in vitamin A. To prepare poke for human consumption, pick the young tender leaves. Boil in water, pour the water off and refill with water, bring to a boil, pour the water off a second time. Some people boil it a third time, I don't. Strain off the water and place the cooked leaves in a skillet with a little olive oil. Get your eggs out and mix eggs into the skillet, cooking until your eggs are done. Eat!
Chickens eat poke without causing any harm. Wild birds love poke also. The berries are only toxic to humans while juicy. The dried berries are safe and have been used as a remedy for toothaches since , well, forever. Its a native American thing.

 

[VintageLilFarm]

I am searching the threads here now beggar an old farmer told me poke berries are the best thing to provide to chickens to worm them. He said any southern old timer will tell you they work better than anything you can buy... hmmmm

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Dude... My chickens totally ate this stuff today... Are they pretty much going to die or get sick now?

There are a lot of things that a chicken can eat that would kill a human, strychnine is just one such compound.

 

[Yorkshiregal]

I am searching the threads here now beggar an old farmer told me poke berries are the best thing to provide to chickens to worm them. He said any southern old timer will tell you they work better than anything you can buy... hmmmm

Yes I’m searching for info on pokeweed berries. I’m reading that it’s a great natural wormer? I have a huge plant with ripe berries growing along the fence and against the netting.

 

[hhill1970]

Anyone know if it's ok for hens to eat poke weed leaves and/or berries?

OMG my chickens LOVE the ripened poke berries! They will jump up off the ground to try to get to all of the ripened berries. It is a hilarious sight to see the Chicken High Jumping Competition at my house! I swear that I have Olympic gold medal high jump winning chickens here!
Then, of course, there is the gorgeous purple coloring that my white hens change into at this time of year... No one has ever died, or gotten sick from eating these berries ALL day long during the Fall. I even bend over the tallest level filled with berries for them to enjoy. I believe that most animals KNOW what is poisonous to them, and keeping that insight is paramount. When they 1st started this berry enjoyment, they only ate a couple of them, probably trying to see what the affect would be on them eating the berries. A trait that even most animals do.
If they get sick within a half hour of consumption of a new plant, they will NOT eat it again. Off subject, but I leave baking soda out for my goats, who automatically consume it, if they happen to eat anything noxious while browsing on the weeds in my fields. (They also eat minerals when needed)
I have noticed that the chickens check out the baking soda occasionally...