The toxic Kentucky coffee tree

[Thelmas garden]

Hey, everyone. I was just wondering if anyone has any experience with these trees on their property and if they are truly as deadly as they are said to be. Will chickens, ducks and goats know to avoid them if they are? I grew these trees from seed and have just now found out after several years of caring for them they are a menace. I'm thinking I shouldn't even risk it and just find a new home for them. Thank in advance for any advice.

 

[ValerieJ]

You mean rehome the chickens, ducks and goats, right? Can you rather create a safe area for your livestock away from the trees? Do you free range? Are the trees everywhere?

 

[Folly's place]

I don't know about this species, but generally birds avoid eating bad tasting stuff, and will avoid poisonous plants, as long as there are many other choices.
On the other hand, if these aren't established trees already, it would be better to make other choices where your birds range.
Different plants vary in toxicity for different animals; some birds do great eating things that aren't on our menu!
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

Almost every yard, including mine, has many toxic plants and mushrooms; impossible to remove everything, and it's fine. Having birds in a pen and offering toxic plants is a different story entirely.
Mary

 

[Thelmas garden]

You mean rehome the chickens, ducks and goats, right? Can you rather create a safe area for your livestock away from the trees? Do you free range? Are the trees everywhere?

Oh no , I meant rehome the trees. The trees have yet to be moved to their permanent location (20, two-foot tall saplings) so I was more worried about putting them anywhere on the property at all because even though the animals are fenced in, stray leaves in fall and winter could blow over into their pasture and I just wondered if they would know to avoid them.

 

[ValerieJ]

Oh no , I meant rehome the trees. The trees have yet to be moved to their permanent location (20, two-foot tall saplings) so I was more worried about putting them anywhere on the property at all because even though the animals are fenced in, stray leaves in fall and winter could blow over into their pasture and I just wondered if they would know to avoid them.

Oh, in that case, I agree with Mary on this one. We all have "poisonous" vegetation of some kind around our property. If it's not in their specific area, it should be fine.

I had this situation last year with my cats. I planted some 250 lilies around the house and when they came into bloom they were just beautiful. Then I read an article about how deadly toxic they are to cats, and there were my two cats basking in the sun under the lilies. DH and I were out that morning deadheading all the lilies and burying the beautiful blooms in the mulch pile. Now we have a job to do this fall and that is to move all these bulbs to a fenced in garden. Ugh. But, I wont get rid of them altogether.

Best of luck!

 

[Thelmas garden]

Oh, in that case, I agree with Mary on this one. We all have "poisonous" vegetation of some kind around our property. If it's not in their specific area, it should be fine.

I had this situation last year with my cats. I planted some 250 lilies around the house and when they came into bloom they were just beautiful. Then I read an article about how deadly toxic they are to cats, and there were my two cats basking in the sun under the lilies. DH and I were out that morning deadheading all the lilies and burying the beautiful blooms in the mulch pile. Now we have a job to do this fall and that is to move all these bulbs to a fenced in garden. Ugh. But, I wont get rid of them altogether.

Best of luck!

Thanks alot! This has eased my mind some. I hated the thought of getting rid of them completely.

 

[quackersandfern]

I don't know how big the trees are, but most of the toxins are going to be in the leaves and seeds. So why not just keep the birds away from these?