Topic of the Week - Toxic treats and foraging

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Lazy gardener, Thanks!! I never paid much attention to insects not bothering it as the only ones that I see around any of my mints are bees. Not a bad idea drying it, may try that as it will pull up in huge matts from the mulched areas. .

Mine will be in a run much of the time due to predators (including those from the air) and I work full time, just me and critters, so no one else home. By next year I hope to have a safe tractor run. I hope to supply them with lots of extra goodies from the yard etc. So free range is only viable when I can be outside with them. Am planting hops, mint and comfrey around the outside of their run.

Scary about the watermelon, so organic from the summer farmer's markets and not the ones out of season.

You know it Jeria!

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-the-best-treats-for-backyard-chickens.47738/
I printed this out for reference. Some things I feed my birds aren't on it. Other things the list says are chickens favorites my birds won't touch. It was a good starting point for me though.

A great reference. Thank you!

 

[chickengr]

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 cousin's chickens ate flowers and were fine. maybe leaves are toxic?

 

[Iveta]

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.

I’m with you! I have Oleanders all over the yard growing tall and wide .. some folks freak out about it (online; no one real life)my birds jump and test all the palms and pines and bushes; I seen them try to taste the oleander .. but it looked more like tasting the furniture ,not like let’s trim the palms and pines new growth and eat it)never seen them taste the cactuses .. I will tell you that!!
Oops had the pear cactus cut and made into a souse once so the top knows it’s edible when cut and that is the only time he will go for it- the rest of course follow

 

[WonkierZulu]

Sometimes it seems like they just know what not to eat. i have periwinkle and they just like to nest in it.

 

[danimajor1988]

my cousin's chickens ate flowers and were fine. maybe leaves are toxic?

Ya know, Its funny you say that because when the flowers fall over the fence into the yard I'll often find little peck bites out of the flowers and have never seen the chickens sick, I am very diligent about making sure I chuck the flowers back over the fence because I don't need little saplings growing up out of the seeds in the flowers. It's bad enough they stretch huge thick roots under the fence and across my entire yard and pop up new trumpet Vines everywhere. It's honestly quiet impressive but when I'm trying to use permaculture to deal with it it's almost impossible to overcome. I think they really need to eat quite a bit of it to get sick, but here's the link where I found it. https://www.mypetchicken.com/backya...re-any-plants-that-are-poisonous-to-H226.aspx

 

[Sylvester017]

POULTRY -- TOXIC VS NON-TOXIC PLANTS

Hope above poultry link is of interest.

Nightshade tomato vines/leaves are considered toxic to us humans, toxic to almost all insects/bugs, and animals/pets -- however, my 10-yr-old Silkie has been ingesting tomato leaves every year from my garden beds and is still alive.

Silkie pullet (left) eating tomato leaves - 10-yr-old Silkie (right) still alive and well.

I guess free-ranging chickens know just how much they can tolerate ingesting toxic vegetation. However, chickens love greenery so they have to have an assortment of greenery to pick and choose from because they will consume all toxic plants if there's nothing else to forage. Use common sense in providing chickens access to a variety of produce/greens. I choose not to provide cruciferous plants or soy because I once read it interferes w/ reproduction (egg laying) -- don't know how true that is so I just choose not to provide it to my girls. There's plenty other produce to offer them.

Smiles

 

[WonkierZulu]

POULTRY -- TOXIC VS NON-TOXIC PLANTS

Hope above poultry link is of interest.

Nightshade tomato vines/leaves are considered toxic to us humans, toxic to almost all insects/bugs, and animals/pets -- however, my 10-yr-old Silkie has been ingesting tomato leaves every year from my garden beds and is still alive.

Silkie pullet (left) eating tomato leaves - 10-yr-old Silkie (right) still alive and well.
View attachment 2767694

I guess free-ranging chickens know just how much they can tolerate ingesting toxic vegetation. However, chickens love greenery so they have to have an assortment of greenery to pick and choose from because they will consume all toxic plants if there's nothing else to forage. Use common sense in providing chickens access to a variety of produce/greens. I choose not to provide cruciferous plants or soy because I once read it interferes w/ reproduction (egg laying) -- don't know how true that is so I just choose not to provide it to my girls. There's plenty other produce to offer them.

Smiles

Haha that's crazy and very interesting. Super silkies

 

[Mtnboomer]

I pay absolutely no attention to toxic plants because they are everywhere. Horse nettle is a contant weed that is growing rampant in our fields and edges of yard yet the chickens don't eat. Honeysuckle is supposed to be toxic but they dont eat it. Etc.

I free range meaning it is impossible to remove all the toxic plants that they encounter daily. Typically IF they taste something toxic they avoid it in the future never coming near ingesting the quantity needed for ill effects or, most often, they somehow know to avoid it altogether.
Dont plant things in or near your run where the chickens have an otherwise limited or nonexistent foraging opportunity as they are likely to ingest it as its the only thing around, but when they are given an abundance of choices, toxic plants tends to be a non issue.

 

[Sylvester017]

I pay absolutely no attention to toxic plants because they are everywhere. Horse nettle is a contant weed that is growing rampant in our fields and edges of yard yet the chickens don't eat. Honeysuckle is supposed to be toxic but they dont eat it. Etc.

I free range meaning it is impossible to remove all the toxic plants that they encounter daily. Typically IF they taste something toxic they avoid it in the future never coming near ingesting the quantity needed for ill effects or, most often, they somehow know to avoid it altogether.
Dont plant things in or near your run where the chickens have an otherwise limited or nonexistent foraging opportunity as they are likely to ingest it as its the only thing around, but when they are given an abundance of choices, toxic plants tends to be a non issue.

Absoluitely correct so far in my limited experience!