Polk salad?????

[vkp23]

We keep losing some of our chicks and we can't figure why. We were wondering if it was due to them eating the berries of the polk salad next to our yard, since some have been covered in the purple juice. I know after a certain amount of time they are considered poisonous but birds should be able to eat it still. I'm not sure if it's the polk salad or not I was just wandering if anyone knew. The last one was wheezing before he died but I don't think he was sick, as the rest of our flock is fine. Just the chicks who are about 6 weeks old are dieing. We wondered if the others were beating them up, but the hen that has chicks that are about 2 weeks old, her babies are fine. Granted they do have mom to protect them and she does a bang up job of it too. She wont let the big ones get close to her babies. Like I said I really don't think they are sick cause they were fine until my husband let them out of the chick pen and NONE of our chickens have EVER been sick. And we've had our poultry for almost 2 years now. Never had a sick one before. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Humhill]

I've never heard of "Polk Salad." But, you mentioned purple juice. Think it may be called "pokeberry"? Red, hollow stalk with big leaves and purple berries?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokeweed

According to Wikipedia:

All parts of pokeweed are toxic including the raw aboveground leaves sprouting in the early spring[3]. The poisonous principles are found in highest concentrations in the rootstock, less in the mature leaves and stems, and least in the fruits. (Green fruits are slightly more toxic) Young leaves, if collected before acquiring a red color, are edible if boiled for 5 minutes, rinsed, and reboiled. Berries are toxic when raw but cooked juice is edible (the seeds remain toxic after cooking).

Ingestion of poisonous parts of the plant may cause severe stomach cramping, nausea with persistent diarrhea and vomiting, sometimes bloody, slow and difficult breathing, weakness, spasms, hypertension, severe convulsions, and death.

Clinical signs

In humans:
The eating of limited quantities of poke, perhaps of the shoots, may cause retching or vomiting after two hours or more. These signs may be followed by dyspnea, perspiration, spasms, severe purging, prostration, tremors, watery diarrhea and vomiting (sometimes bloody) and, sometimes, convulsions. In severe poisonings, symptoms are weakness, excessive yawning, slowed breathing, fast heartbeat, dizziness, and possibly seizures, coma and death. However, consuming fewer than 10 uncooked berries is generally harmless to adults.

In horses:
Colic, diarrhea, respiratory failure.

In swine:
Unsteadiness, inability to rise, retching. Jerking movements of the legs. Below-normal temperature.

In cattle:
Same general signs plus a decrease in milk production.

I have tons of this in the pasture. But, other than the horses getting juice all over them, haven't had any problems.​

 

[vkp23]

yeah that's the stuff. I was thinking after watching the birds, I think they are getting stepped on.