Yes I used to have goats. They ate acorns no problem. They were dopes about other things though. The young ones loved to get out and eat cherry leaves. Those have cyanide in them. Only lost one though thanks to fast thinking and a vet who would instruct me over the phone. We removed all cherry trees after that.
Some foods with tannins are ok in moderation. It's thought they work as a dewormer.
I haven't had any chickens get sick off of anything they've eaten so far (knock on wood).
Marla
I agree with Marla--as long as the chickens (or any animals!) have access to good forage, they are quite unlikely to try the poisonous plants--although in the case of grazing animals, there are a few exceptions.
I'm a little startled at some of the items on the list, though. Oaks, for instance... Yes, a cow or horse that eats too many of certain acorns may have some problems, but we used to figure that the acorns were good extra food for them (although the milk might have a slight taste). Certainly the wild turkeys eat plenty of them! (I even gather them, shell, grind, and leach out the tannin! Better than walnuts in cookies and brownies!)
And periwinkle?? My horses love it (it grows up to the edge of the pasture), and the deer have also been known to visit right up to the house for it... Milkweed foliage, yes, but don't pass up the spring shoots, or the flower buds, for yourself--absolutely delicious! (Hmm... Another month or six weeks to dandelion greens...)
Rhonda
Sidesaddle Hall of Famer
Five-time US National Sidesaddle Champion
CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com
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