Ange1 Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 I'm worried to read from Christian's list of poisonous plants that buttercups and clover are poisonous to them! My lawn is almost all clover and quite a few buttercups in it too! Will the girls know instinctly to aviod them, I watch them a lot when they free range and I have noticed that they try them, they don't like the clover flowers, they peck and then spit it out! I don't want to stop them free ranging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yolky Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 Oh no I didn't know that. I had to slide the run over today to clean it out and it was on a bit of lawn with clover I hope that they didn't eat any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 Ours love the clover - it is full of good stuff for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Kettle Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 Strikes me that if we stripped our gardens of all of the plants on the list, they'd be looking pretty bare! I think chickens instinctively know what to avoid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenanne Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 I didn't know re: clover being poisonous. It might be very slightly, but ours have been allowed out to free range on a "lawn" with loads of it for the last 12 months and are still absolutely fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ange1 Posted July 16, 2008 Author Share Posted July 16, 2008 glad to hear chickenanne, maybe it's like 'everything in moderation'?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 I wouldnt worry either, mine freeranged for a whole year, and most of our lawn is clover!! they seem to cope. mine have also eaten honeysuckle berries, which I was told are poisonous, and survived. oh, and they have a heap of grass clippings in their run - not sposed to in case they swallow too much and get blocked up, but again they have had free access for a year and managed to survive. basically they hunt through the clippings for the bugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jomaxsmith Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 I've been told that if hens are well nourished then they can tolerate small amounts of the foods that are meant to be toxic to them. I find that my hens are now only allowed out to free range in the late afternoon and they have been eating mash all day so they don't eat much vegetation. Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 My lawn has masses of clover in it, and the hens don't seem to mind it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
