Tomato Plants Bad??

[jzarabs]

I was just reading that tomato plants are toxic or could make chickens sick? I was planning on letting my girls have free range of the garden this fall after the last harvest. I have quite a few tomato and tomatillo plants in the garden. Should I not let them have those and pull the plants out? Or will they be ok? I know a lot of people allow their chickens to clean up the garden each year but I've never heard of anyone removing tomato plants first!
Oh and also, I've seen some people on here mention they don't/won't use cedar shavings for bedding? Is cedar bad or is it just a personal preference type thing?

 

[rancher hicks]

Tomatoes are a member of the Nightshade family and very poisonous. If you let them have free range of the garden I would pull the plants and put them where they can't get at them. Although last year my chickens got in and ate all the tomatoes. While I did see them take a peck at the plants none died. They didn't eat the tomato plants to the ground like they did my other plants. I had some get in this year too, the smaller birds and they pecked the tomatoes but left the plants alone. The choice is yours. Honestly I don't think they will eat the plants still I would pile them where they can't get at them or just throw them in the garbage. No sense taking a risk.

 

[birdsNbeesNseeds]

My chickens have full run of the place. They eat what they want. They even dust bathe in the fall garden. They never ate the tomato plants (tomatoes, yes.) If chickens were dumb enough to eat poisonous plants, nobody could free range chickens.

Oh, and although I use cedar wood for my honeybees, pine shavings are recommended for birds.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

My chickens have full access to my tomato plants (which this year sadly did not give me tomatoes), and they aren't even eating them one bit. I have two plants in the run, and they leave them alone.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Mine run through the garden daily and occasionally eat tomato plants and tomatillos (they think tomatillos are fantastic) but show no apparent ill effects from them.