"How do you guys deal with foraging and toxic plants?"
I give my birds credit for being born with brains (instincts), enough to know what's not good for them to eat, at the very least. And it's worked for all the years I've had chickens - have never ever had one die from something they ate that they shouldn't have.
Admittedly I do pull Deadly Nightshade from my property wherever I find it - not sure if the chickens would go for it's toxic little red berries that form in fall because the plants are never around that long for them to go to berry. I pull it more for it's entangling ground-covering vining that can, if let go, can trip my horses or myself up walking through it.
Kate in WI :-)
Kate in WI :-)
<< Posted by: "goatsnchickens" goatsnchickens@yahoo.com
I picked a big armload of milkweed this afternoon and was going to give the greens to the hens, but I decided to check online first to make sure that they are okay for hens to eat. I haven't found a definitive list of plants that are okay, but I did find a link (see below) of forbidden plants.
Now I'm confused, I live in an oak forest, so there's oak on and completely surrounding my property. The back hill is covered with Oxalis which the chickens have been eating daily since they were small), milkweed, clover and other unknown weeds. The side yard has been planted with Vinca (Periwinkle) which grows right up to the side of the run. There are tomato plants in the backyard, and callas and ivy grow in the front. So basically my yard, like many others is filled with plants that are listed as poisonous. I don't have a lawn or hayfield , Does this mean that I have to keep the chickens in a sterile environment and purchase everything they eat to keep them from getting poisoned?
How do you guys deal with foraging and toxic plants?
Link:
I found this link: http://www.poultryhelp.com/toxicplants.html#O >>
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