C&T Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Apologies if this is on the wrong bit - couldn't decide between Chickens or Self Sufficiency... I know that potato's are "not good" for chooks, and don't worry, I am not about to feed any peelings or anything to them! But. I am planning on growing potato's this year in sacks in the garden. Will the plants themselves be poisonous to chooks? If not, do they leave them alone? (Appreciate if some chickens do not eat them, does not mean that all chickens won't...) Trying to decide if I need to fence them off or not...! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 I honestly don't know, but I have grown my potatoes in the front garden to be on the safe side Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Licken Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Mine show absolutely no interest in potato plants - they do like a bit of left over mash though!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Mine ignored them last year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky1 Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Ours ignored them last year. They liked to come over and "help" when we were planting or harvesting - in fact anything where we had dug or rotivated the soil so that they could nip in for a meaty, between meals snack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Another lot that ignored ours - they were in a big pot on the patio though, so couldn't scratch around them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 mine absalutly trashed my potato plants, and are still walking around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mabelandflosmum Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Mine tucked into the leaves of my potato plants and lived to tell the tale! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C&T Posted February 7, 2010 Author Share Posted February 7, 2010 hmmmmmm As always with chooks, they all seem to have their own mind! Perhaps I will try the sacks where they can get at them, and see how they react to them - while keeping ready to net them off as soon as they take too keen an interest to ensure I do actually get a crop! Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docsquid Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 I had a few tomato plants (green parts also poisonous) left out when the chickens first arrived in October. They ignored them completely. They seem pretty sensible in our garden apart from Blodwyn having several goes at the chilli plants before realising that they were too potent! I will have to exclude them from some areas come the Spring, but mainly to stop them digging up things, and from eating my blueberries and loganberries. I won't be growing potatoes at home because I have an allotment patch this year, but I think they'd be fine in pots provided the chooks don't dig em up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C&T Posted February 8, 2010 Author Share Posted February 8, 2010 Careful with the tomato plants - they can enjoy the tomatoes themselves and eat them all for you - leaving all the green leaves behind...!! I love the idea of chickens eating chilli plants though!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 mine left some alone ate a few leaves of others then found my congo and dug up and ate the very small ones as for tomatoes with mine it depended on the variety as to weather the ate them or note the faverite being Garden Peach they started with the ripe ones then the not quite ripe them any they could reach Gardeners Delight they only are if ripe red pear they only ate until they found Garden Peach then they wouldn't touch them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Mine who free range all day and turn their beaks up at any green veg that they are given as treats completely devastated my potatoes plants last year. They waited until they were nice and tall and then had the lot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docsquid Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Sounds like I'll need the Omlet netting to keep them out of my tomato patch then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Sounds like I'll need the Omlet netting to keep them out of my tomato patch then I found most netting failed to keep the girls out, the only wat I managed to was a frame with netting on or mesh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
