Topic of the Week - Toxic treats and foraging

[peterlund]

Mine love cat food - it's my 'last resort' food to get them in to the coop when they want to stay out longer. Which is great, because the cat just licks the jelly off and leaves the lumps, while the chickens lkie the lumps but not the jelly.

Mine adore wetted dog food. 24% protein, and they devour it. Egg production is still strong even now.

 

[peterlund]

I know one thing you should never give your chickens is watermelon. A friend of mine had four hens and a rooster. She tossed a quarter of a seedless watermelon in the pen and they devoured it. About eight hours later she had four dead hens.

Don't tell my girls..... favorite summer treat! Seeds fjrst of course.

 

[FlyWheel]

I have a question regarding potato skins, does this apply to all types of potato? White, red & yellow(gold) or just Russet? I ask because the Russets are really the only one with an appreciable skin, AND the only one I have seen acquire that green layer.

 

[chickengr]

I have a question regarding potato skins, does this apply to all types of potato? White, red & yellow(gold) or just Russet? I ask because the Russets are really the only one with an appreciable skin, AND the only one I have seen acquire that green layer.

all kind of potatoes get green when exposed to light. I feed row potatoes skin to my chickens, just make sure there is no green and no sprouts.

 

[greggooo]

I always worry about ours eating leaves from foxglove and lupine on one side of the house, Ive read that's poisonous, and azalea and holly on the other. They tried one bite of palisander and never wanted another. Seems like the evergreens aren't good... Mine seem to try a bite and know they don't like it.

 

[sarahconnor]

Last fall shortly after I got my flock, I realized I was letting them forage in an area that had a lot of buttercup in the grass. I was in a panic all night - running out to the coop every hour to make sure no one was dead. Everyone was fine. Then about a month ago I had them loose in my garden when I realized I hadn't blocked them off from the rhubarb. When I got out there they had obviously been picking around the rhubarb and didn't even touch it. I also noticed while they are walking the area from their run to the garden where alot of the buttercup is they just nibble around it. So I firmly believe they have an innate intelligence about what they can eat and what they can't; which is one less thing I have to worry about.

One of my Aracaunas has a cross beak which I heard runs in that bird. I read they usually die but mine is going strong and will be a year old soon. She can’t peck but loves plenty of fresh water to dip her tongue in (it sticks out all the time) and I have to start a thread to ask if the beak should be trimmed it’s long and hooked as she has no control over it. Good luck with your birds. I’m glad they are fine.

 

[Phaedra Geiermann]

Mine love watermelon rinds and I've been giving them to them for at least 3 months when I have some. No ill effects seen.

What I'm worried about now are wild mushrooms in the yard. I live in the NW and we get a huge amount of mushrooms and variety. I found some had grown right outside the coop run gate and I smashed them all with my feet. So many of the mushroom types are toxic, not to mention the psychedelics!

I can't possibly remove them all when they start appearing in the fall so I'm just going to have to hope the chickens know best and will leave them alone.

My hens will only smash them (as a toy?), but they don't eat those mushrooms, so i guess yes, as people suggested, as long as they have many options, they won't touch things they are not familiar or they don't like.

 

[danimajor1988]

I have had the hardest time with an extremely invasive plant in my yard, I dug up the whole root system this past spring and it still pops up everywhere. Trumpet Vine or trumpet flower is poisonous, and itchy, for all animals and humans, and yes my chickens. The original plant is in my neighbors yard, so I cant kill their plant but have been battling it in my garden and yard all summer in fear that my little dinosaurs will get a hold of it. But they really show zero interest in it which makes me happy. I've also been learning the hard way as this is my first flock, not quite old enough to lay eggs yet even, that they sample everything and pull the roots up on all the plants regardless if they eat them and really like the garden and the plants trying to I'm trying to grow or get to maturity from them. I've pretty much called this summer garden done and have been setting up chicken wire rings around all my fall garden plants. Here's what a trumpet Vine looks like for those who don't know.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

My little darlings like styrofoam. They will eat every little piece they see.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

I agree with Ridgrunner - our girls will choose wisely when foraging in the garden and only eat what is safe for them. Avocados are a complete no no for just about all birds as are any foods that we wouldnt want to eat ourselves (green potatoes, mouldy food etc).
Keeping grass short (especially when it is lush in the spring) and keeping EVERYTHING as clean as possible works too - just get into the habit of checking the chickens daily, giving fresh feed and water in clean feeders and drinkers and poo pick each time you go out to them - this means that nothing becomes a big chore and you know exactly whats happening in the flock!

Exactly how my chicken life works as well Wooper. Ya gotta keep your eyes peeled all the time. I have had mulch delivered once only so far, and, occasionally I will see some little plastic pieces here and there. Drives me nuts! I wonder if thats common for people when they buy a huge amount of mulch…..to find non mulch items?? Oh well. These gals find everything!!! They have such keen eyesight, right?