Tomatoe plants

[flowergirl60]

My husband planted tomatoe plants in the run. My chickens are eating the leaves and I read they were not good for them and could be toxic. Should I pull them up? My husband is not going to be to happy about that. I am so worried. I forgot to mention they are not very big plants. My gut feeling says pull em up.

 

[exotic man]

Iv never had a problem i feed the tomatoes to them also

 

[WoodlandWoman]

The leaves of tomato plants don't become toxic until around the time they have fruit. I think it's when the fruit starts to ripen. So, eating young plants won't hurt them.

You could get a roll of wire and fence the tomatoes off from the chickens. Otherwise, I don't think you're going to get any tomatoes. You can also try growing other things for the chickens to eat. They really crave green feed. If they don't have enough grasses and dark leafy greens in their diet, they'll eat whatever is in the run. Letting them free range for at least part of the day, if your yard is not too risky, also takes some of the pressure off plants in the run.

 

[flowergirl60]

They free range almost all day and I planted some swiss chard that hasn't gotten quite tall enough wich I have chicken wire all around as well as the tomatoe plants. They've eaten all the green out of the backyard.

I guess it should be OK since the plants aren't going to get a chance for tomatoes.

 

[ralleia]

I've planted tomatoes within range of the chickens, too. If there's enough other green things around, they don't even think about pecking at the tomato leaves. In my case, they've only ever damaged a tomato plant through exuberant scratching--ripped the young plant right out of the ground!

 

[panner123]

Never had a chicken die from eating any veggies from the garden. Once the garden stoped producing, I let the chickens in, they clean up most of the plants. Then I pull up what is left and put it out where the goat and chickens can have what they want. They turn the tomato plants into great compost, which can't be done bin the normal way with tomatoes. At times I would turn all my chickens lose in the truck garden ( 900 acres) if I was having a bug problem. They eat some of the plants as well as the bugs. Had some great tasting eggs for awhile after that.

 

[blefky]

I've only recently heard that tomato greens can have an ill effect on chickens. Last year I actually threw all my thinnings from my tomato plants in their run. Everyone is still alive and healthy. Probably the least expensive way to keep them out is to pound a few stakes in the ground and run some deer netting around them (the tomatoes, that is!) - something I just found out yesterday that I'll be needing to do when I found half a dozen of my hens gathered around my rhubarb happily munching leaves. Last year they never even looked at it. Go figure.