WIll chickens know not to eat Oleander?

[Bryce Thomas]

I want to let my chickens free range again but I have some Oleander growing where the grass is, Im afraid when i'm not supervising them they will eat a leaf of the toxic plant and die : (. Any ideas? Will they just know not to eat it?

 

[springvalley123]

I used to live down the road from a property that had free range chickens with full access to mature giant oleander. I continued to see the same chickens, never happened to see any belly up in the yard while I drove by. Plus, my observation is that these birds are smarter than we give them credit for. Once, I had a drake pick up and mouth a small bolt and spit it out.

 

[Tonyroo]

They are very poisonous, an alternative solution is to prune the bottom half of the shrub to prevent the chickens from coming in contact of it.

They won't know not to eat it. How could they if it's new to them.

 

[NC_Quail]

I can’t speak for Oleanders, but my chickens are smart enough not to eat our Irises

 

[Tonyroo]

Iris is less lethal than Oleanders.

 

[NC_Quail]

Iris is less lethal than Oleanders.

Good point

 

[CoopintheWoods]

I would remove/trim it if you could. Chickens sometimes are smart, but if the yard is grass plus this "interesting and different" plant, the chickens may very well go for the more exciting choice. If the whole yard is a mix of exciting plants though, then I would be less worried.
Chickens like contrast, so you don't want the Oleander to be the only thing standing out to them.

Best wishes!

 

[Faiyumi]

One of the things my mom planted here on the farm long ago was Oleanders. They never had problems with their livestock from what I remember but I just hate the idea. I let the oleanders die so I wouldn't have to risk it. I agree chickens are smarter than most give credit for but plenty of chickens and livestock die from eating plants they shouldn't every year. I know quite a few of my chickens would absolutely gladly sample a bit of oleander. They would not eat more than a sample I believe. Would that sample kill them? I don't really know honestly.

I've seen them pecking at night shade seedlings. I try my best to catch all the night shade but some seedlings just come up too quick. They haven't died from it but they do get mild digestive problems when they are silly enough to keep eating it. They don't learn and I think night shade is less poisonous than oleander.

Long story short, it depends on your chickens but it's a genuine risk. I wouldn't risk it knowing how mine react to other poisonous plants. I bet it tastes horrible though so they likely would only nibble it. I'm just worried if a nibble is enough to kill something so small?

 

[jwsmith1959]

I free range my girls on about 8 acres and have an Oleander that produced new growth from a bad freeze we had last February. I have never seen them have any interest in it. I worried about Yaupon as I have a ton of it that grows along one of my property lines and they love to wander around under it as it is a great hiding place. Just keep an eye on them and see if they have any interest in it.

Good luck.

 

[raingarden]

The thing about Oleander is it tastes terrible to humans and other animals. It's really, REALLY, bitter.

When we were kids we used oleander to make bows and arrows. We'd get the white sap on our hands when cutting but thought nothing of it. Our mother found out how toxic it is and removed it all. No more bows and arrows.