Chicken Garden info plz..

[so lucky]

They don't try to swallow anything very big. they just peck the gristle and meaty parts off the bones. I don't generally give them those needle sharp bones off the legs, though, if I have cooked the bones down and they are obvious.

 

[baymule]

In the heat of the summer, freeze your watermelon rinds, cantaloupe peelings, seeds, cucumber peelings, etc. I call them chicken popsicles, the girls love them!

 

[digitS']

Now wait! Didn't you say that chickens don't eat harmful things? Cows suffer and die now and then from something called "hardware disease." They accidentally eat a wire or something.

Chickens will deliberately eat things like screws, broken glass ..! One bad experience I had was pulling a long piece of dry grass out of a chicken. She just could not swallow it! I couldn't blame her for eating grass, however.

I'll post a link to a Canadian government website on here about toxic plants and livestock. It is real good and provides cases of poisoning. Most are livestock other than chickens. Fortunately, a lot of things poisonous must not taste good.

Steve
will be back after getting on pc for his poultry bookmarks.

 

[catjac1975]

I have read many lists of things that are bad for chickens and I just don't buy it. My chickens are very selective in what they eat. Glass and screws might be another thing, but they are not all that likely to be in a coup. I refer to my chickens as providing instant compost. Not actually true of course.

 

[digitS']

Poisonous Plants Information System

Something it would never be a good idea to do is to toss things into the chicken pen where the hens may eat them out of boredom. They may find plenty of other choices free-ranging but if they have a pile of nightshade plants and too much time on their hands ...

Besides something like nightshade, I worry a little about Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia). Here is what the website says, "The seeds, bark, and leaves contain toxic proteins that have caused sickness and death in cattle, horses, poultry, sheep, and humans. The plant should be considered toxic to all animals if ingested." The dang pods blow all over the place. I doubt that chickens would search them out to eat them but those seeds end up everywhere around the trees at all times of the year.

There are other things like Jimsonweed and other Datura, Oleander, Foxglove.

Steve

 

[Tara]

In the heat of the summer, freeze your watermelon rinds, cantaloupe peelings, seeds, cucumber peelings, etc. I call them chicken popsicles, the girls love them!

thats a great idea

 

[Tara]

They don't try to swallow anything very big. they just peck the gristle and meaty parts off the bones. I don't generally give them those needle sharp bones off the legs, though, if I have cooked the bones down and they are obvious.

ok.. thanxs..

 

[Tara]

Now wait! Didn't you say that chickens don't eat harmful things? Cows suffer and die now and then from something called "hardware disease." They accidentally eat a wire or something.

Chickens will deliberately eat things like screws, broken glass ..! One bad experience I had was pulling a long piece of dry grass out of a chicken. She just could not swallow it! I couldn't blame her for eating grass, however.

I'll post a link to a Canadian government website on here about toxic plants and livestock. It is real good and provides cases of poisoning. Most are livestock other than chickens. Fortunately, a lot of things poisonous must not taste good.

Steve
will be back after getting on pc for his poultry bookmarks.

great thanxs so much.. thats something ive been tryn ta find out more about too...

 

[bobm]

Now wait! Didn't you say that chickens don't eat harmful things? Cows suffer and die now and then from something called "hardware disease." They accidentally eat a wire or something.

Chickens will deliberately eat things like screws, broken glass ..! One bad experience I had was pulling a long piece of dry grass out of a chicken. She just could not swallow it! I couldn't blame her for eating grass, however.

I'll post a link to a Canadian government website on here about toxic plants and livestock. It is real good and provides cases of poisoning. Most are livestock other than chickens. Fortunately, a lot of things poisonous must not taste good.

Steve
will be back after getting on pc for his poultry bookmarks.

As for " hardware disease " in cattle ... yup, cattle eat all types of wire, nails, screws, etc. so dairymen insert a 4 inch magnet into their stomachs which catches and holds these items in the stomach with NO ill effects. I found a 6" long nail sticking through and encapsulated through it's stomach. Another sheep had a 9" long nail sticking through and encapsulated through it's heart. All animals will eat anything either on purpose or accidentally as they eat their normal feed. Some may lay down on the ground or bedding and accidentally get punctured by an object .

 

[bobm]

Poisonous Plants Information System

Something it would never be a good idea to do is to toss things into the chicken pen where the hens may eat them out of boredom. They may find plenty of other choices free-ranging but if they have a pile of nightshade plants and too much time on their hands ...

Besides something like nightshade, I worry a little about Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia). Here is what the website says, "The seeds, bark, and leaves contain toxic proteins that have caused sickness and death in cattle, horses, poultry, sheep, and humans. The plant should be considered toxic to all animals if ingested." The dang pods blow all over the place. I doubt that chickens would search them out to eat them but those seeds end up everywhere around the trees at all times of the year.

There are other things like Jimsonweed and other Datura, Oleander, Foxglove.

Steve

At least in Cal. they plant Oleander in the highway center deviders ... Oleander leaves are very toxic, as in 1-3 leaves will sicken / kill a small child, 3-5 leaves will kill farm animals such as sheep, goat, etc. , and 7-10 leaves will kill a horse, etc. . Please be very aware of any Oleander near where you live. Better yet, kill, maim, and destroy it on your property or you may just have someone sickened or die, and / or face a lawsuit.