Safe plants for chickens?

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Sassy

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Re: Safe plants for chickens?
« Reply #15 on: February 12, 2009, 17:48 »
Just because your hens do not keel over after eating certain plants does not mean they are not being affected. Many of the toxins are slow acting - this is probably true of the buttercups, which are poisonous to horses but they have to eat a lot over a long period . Beware!

I do not know if eating poisonous plants would affect the eggs and have a knock on affect to those that ate the eggs. Sorry to be negative.
Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted!!

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shiatsusu

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Re: Safe plants for chickens?
« Reply #16 on: February 12, 2009, 22:11 »
I think your point about eggs is an important one and worth considering, also the potential for slow build toxins in the chooks themselves. I'm wondering whether the chicken lifespan of 6-8 years means they die of old age before toxins reach a level that could carry them off? I've just had to give my girls antibiotics and was warned not to eat the eggs for 14 days so it is logical to argue plant toxins could also find their way into the eggs. I guess the best advice if you're starting from a bare patch is to only put in plants from a "safe for chooks" list.  :wub: When did hen keeping become so complicated?!  ::)

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robbiechick

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Re: Safe plants for chickens?
« Reply #17 on: February 14, 2009, 21:46 »
Ive had my chickens now for  six weeks they dig alot but at the moment they are leaving all my shrubs alone they seem to have a peck dont like it so move on.ive got alot of shrubs in my garden so i hope this list will help you to decide what to get.

choisya
ceanothus
chaenomeles
camellia
buddleja
berberis
cotoneaster
escallonia
erysimum-bowies mauve
lavatera
hypericum
hellebores
mahonia
winter jasmine
rhododendron
azalea
potentilla
pieris
roses
rosemary
When i plant more shrubs i will put bricks around so the chickens cannot dig them up until they they get established its trail and error at the moment, ive dug up alot of my perennial plants as i know they will have them. :)

RC

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shiatsusu

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Re: Safe plants for chickens?
« Reply #18 on: February 14, 2009, 23:12 »
Hi RC, thank you for the list. What's coming through loud and clear from this is that many of the plants on the poisonous lists people seem to have in their gardens with no visible or immediate problems to the chooks - hypericum and rhodies are both supposedly poisionous to chooks according to one list I found. I'm lucky to have a bare patch and start from scratch so think the safest thing is probably to put in plants from the safe list and see what happens  ??? Good tip re the bricks, I'll try that one too ::)

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Ruby Red

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Re: Safe plants for chickens?
« Reply #19 on: February 15, 2009, 14:48 »
 
  People always say that rhubarb is poisonous to hens as well but mine gets eaten and the old wives tale will tell you that the hens use it as a natural wormer
Oh for those halcyon days of England long ago



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