Tomato Plants

[Pheonix]

Ok, so how bad are tomato plant for the chickens? Every day for the last few weeks the girls have been heading straight for the tomato plant when I let them out and have been downing as much as they can. I don't really care if the eat it, I've gotten all I wanted off of it, but is it bad for them? I do have a few with loose stools, would this be the cause? Most are only 5 months and I do have a couple Silkies that might be prone to poisoning. I also have a 1 year old RIR though that is fine and has no problems and eats the most.

So just how bad is the tomato plant leaves?

 

[Judy]

They are classified as poisonous, and chickens will certainly eat things they should not. I wouldn't have worried about a few, but if they are gulping them down, I'd probably remove the plants from their area.

 

[snowflake]

If tomatoes are poisonous for chickens mine should all be dead. they eat more tomatoes this year (and last) then we did. they get them green, red, any way they can. I need to get them fenced off real good or we don't get any with out pecks in them.

 

[johny]

The fruit is fine.
It is the leaves that contain solanaceous alkaloids that can be toxic.
I think it must take a big dose to hurt a chicken.
I think tomatoes are far less toxic than other solanaceous plants like tobacco or nightshade.