[Bobbie]

:?: Are Laurel bushes poisonous, We have a lot growing next door, and wondering whether I can mulch it up in the shredder to help in the bottom of the girls run.
 :?: If not has anyone got ideas as to help keep down the mud during winter.

[poultrygeist]

Proper laurel is poisonous and I think cherry laurel is not much better. We have a bush growing in the run but they leave it alone. No guarantee they'll do the same if it's on the ground.

You can use softwood bark chippings or straw as a stopgap.

Rob

[Foxy]

Well I have a lot of laurel, they dont seem to eat it at all, so I guess they know better!

[Vember]

Hi Bobbie

I got this Link from our Poultry Info Pages

http://www.horseweb-uk.com/features/plantmain.htm#l

It mentions the cherry laurel & Cyanide poisoning  :shock:

But it is a horsey site so it might not be as bad for the hens :?

Also they might not eat it on the bush, but might they if it's chopped up on the floor :?


Sarah

[Aunt Sally]

I (still) have a friend who pruned his fathers laurel hedge and crammed the prunings into black bin bags.  Oh.. he thought that smells of almonds, he put his head in the bag and took a big sniff.  

As he began to feel rather dizzy he though to himself "Oh ***** I've killed myself " :shock:

He recovered within a few minutes of course but cyanide is toxic if it is in a concentration you can smell !

Back to chickens - They are very sensible creatures and tend not to eat things which are dangerous to them !

[ceri green]

YES YES YES laurel is toxic...even to humans!
especially if you shred it up...it means that the sap will be turned into minute droplets which can be very harmful to whoever is operating the shredder, let alone anything else that breathes it in  :shock:

its not so much the eating of it that is the problem,(they wouldnt eat it i'm fairly certain) its breathing it in that will do the harm.

[karlooben]

if u are looking at using straw to mop up the mud then DONT  i tried it and my god it stunk to high heaven and mad me  :pukel: , in the future i am going to woodchips .