Tomatoes and chickens

[jeep381]

I can't decide after reading the comments if tomatoes are off limites to chickens. Will tomatoes make them ill, die? I gave mine a couple cherry tomatoes and they really like them.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

A ripe tomato is chicken cocaine. They will fight you for them.

Green tomatoes don't seem to interest them much, my birds anyway.

Some folks report that their birds eat their tomato vines. Mine are not interested. Mammals should not eat the vines, but birds don't seem to have the same problem.

 

[Indigosands]

You can feed them ripe tomatoes, just not the plants themselves as they belong to the nightshade family. Mine fight over the over ripe cherry tomatoes, they are fruit and a good source of extra water they need in this heat.

 

[SSTupperware]

I disagree with the nightshade thing, mine love a huge salad off my pepper plants, don't eat the pods, but will eat the seeds and scrapings from inside... no problem.

 

[galanie]

Tomatoes are fine, they wont' hurt your chickens. A bit of the plant doesn't either. Were they to really chow down on the leaves, then maybe it might hurt them but I don't know anyone that lets theirs eat the tomato plants cause they want tomatoes to grow!

 

[Rhawn]

Our girls LOVE cherry tomatoes. Could be their favorite, right after bugs and worms.