[Pixieswift]

I have a HUGE yew tree in where my hens free range not ideal i know as yew i have heard is poisonous but it would be impossible to get rid of...They dont seem to eat the yew at least i dont think they do but they have started picking at the fallen red berrys i try to pick them up as they fall but this is an endless task are the berrys harmful many thanks guys...

[sunshineband]

The flesh of yew berries is not poisonous, it is the seed enclosed within the berry that is.

Sorry I can't help further but I am not 'chicken person'

[Pixieswift]

Thanks for your reply, well they are definatly gulping down the whole berry would be good to find out if anyone else has experienced this!!!!!

[Helenaj]

Yew berry seeds are very poisonous and in great quantities can prove lethal. However, I've always said that a hen (or any other foraging animal) knows what's likely to harm them and if they have not shown any symptoms of poisoning as of yet, they may be immune to it. Keep an eye out for any obvious symptoms.
If you want to clear the berries away, put a tarpaulin around the base of the tree (if possible) and the berries should collect on that so you can then just throw them away.

[joyfull]

the red part is harmless (even to us) but the black seed inside can be poisonous, however wild birds (and chickens will be no different) will swallow the seed whole. These then go through their system and out the other end with no ill effects.

[ex-cavator]

Firstly, Yew berries are not actually berries at all, but Arils - a fleshy growth of the funiculus, or the point at which the seed attaches to the tree.

Whereas a berry is a fruiting body that contains the seed or seeds, which are themselves not physically attached to the tree other than by being contained within the berry.

In the case of Yew, all parts are highly toxic to birds & mammals except the aril. This is attractive to fruit eating birds, and promotes the dispersal of the seed which will pass through their gut without causing harm.

Having said that, the rare and elusive Hawfinch is one of the few birds that not only have a powerful enough bill to crack yew seeds, but actively seek them out as a food source and are unaffected by their toxic nature 

[Pixieswift]

Thanks so much guy's i feel better after reading all that info  i have seen a couple of my girls swallow them but no change in poo etc so far. I try to pick them up as they fall but inpossible to get them all. One of my 5 week old chicks ate one and had a runny bummy for a day but other than that all seems ok. I guess i worry to much, i have seen them peck at stuff when free ranging and spit it back out so i reckon my girls know better than me what good and bad for them...