[bygrace]

Hi - I'm cutting my leylandii and will have some branches about 6ft long and various trimmings. Are conifers OK to strew on the ground of the run?
Thanks.

[outercircle]

It's not a good idea to use fresh chippings etc as they produce spores as they decompose which can cause/aggravate respiratory infections in your hens. It's best to compost leylandii before using it in the garden so you will need to shred it first and mix it with greener stuff for it to rot down to something useable.

[hillfooter]

Hi - I'm cutting my leylandii and will have some branches about 6ft long and various trimmings. Are conifers OK to strew on the ground of the run?
Thanks.

I'm not sure about leylandii but yew is definitely very poisonous so I'd make sure you check this aspect. 

From a mould and spore perspective, outside in a well ventillated environment it should be OK.
HF

[bygrace]

Thanks for that advice. On a similar theme, is it true that chooks instinctively won't eat things that are poisonous for them? I read a list of chicken-poisonous plants somewhere, which included hypericum (St John's wort). I have several bushes of that in my garden, with juicy looking berries - does that mean I need to fence those off if I let my girls free range?

Thanks - very much a newbie!

[hillfooter]

Thanks for that advice. On a similar theme, is it true that chooks instinctively won't eat things that are poisonous for them? I read a list of chicken-poisonous plants somewhere, which included hypericum (St John's wort). I have several bushes of that in my garden, with juicy looking berries - does that mean I need to fence those off if I let my girls free range?

Thanks - very much a newbie!

I think they probably won't but I wouldn't like to trust to that. Yew is very toxic but I'm not sure about St John's Wort.  Obviously adding a poisonous plant to their run is more dangerous than it just being available to them.

HF

[dinosaw]

Mine are constantly scratching around under my large conifer through the fallen leaves and I have had no problems.

[viettaclark]

Same here....it's dry under the fir and they've made dust baths.....

[Helenaj]

Thanks for that advice. On a similar theme, is it true that chooks instinctively won't eat things that are poisonous for them? I read a list of chicken-poisonous plants somewhere, which included hypericum (St John's wort). I have several bushes of that in my garden, with juicy looking berries - does that mean I need to fence those off if I let my girls free range?

Thanks - very much a newbie!

St John's Wort has been used as a homeopathic treatment for Marek's - there's load of info for it online (although no-one has proven if it is successful). So I don't think it is poisonous in its processed form, maybe only in its natural form.