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LJ's Chooks

Tomatoes????

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Well I think i have managed to convince myself of a little urban myth.....

 

i have had chooks for 3 years now, and have happily told my hubby and chicken sitters what ever happens dont give them tomatoes or raw potato.

 

So tonight my sons nursery were about to throw out (cos they cant keep food) a huge bowl of plain pasta and a sweetcorn salad that had peppers, sweetcorn, cucumber and tomatoes chopped. I said I had 9 girls that would eat their way through hot coals for that other than the tomatoes that i would have to pick out and then wash the salad of the tomato juice..... :roll:

 

but i picked out a few and thought i'd just check...... errrrr omlet says tomatoes are fine :oops::oops: am i daft or what .... and why did i get it into my head that they couldnt have tomatoes??????????

 

Can they???? can someone set me straight and tell me to get a grip!! have i been missing out on 3years of disposed sweetcorn salad for no reason??????? :pray::pray:

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mine love tomatoes ripe or unripe given the chance the pick they're own they have eaten raw spuds too when they find any ground keeps that I've missed.they also stripped half a dozen spud plants in the spring of the leaves with no ill effects to them not sure about the spuds through as I've not knocked them out yet

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Bizarrely, I have offered mine cherry tomatoes in the past, and they have not been in the slightest bit interested.

 

Isn't it strange that some chooks refuse commonly accepted food - perhaps it is down to what you give them while they are young becomes a pattern for life. I never gave my girls tomatoes when I first got them. :?:

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All my girls love tomatoes. Sometimes they get them cut up, sometimes whole.

 

I found that when they are young and new to tomatoes, it's best to pierce the tomato or cut it in half first. Once they realise that the red balls are full of tomatoey goodness, they are happy to peck through the skin to get to it.

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I believe it is tomato LEAFS which are poisonous to hens,not the fruits :D

Really - oh dear - mine always start to peck the leaves through the veg plot neeting, when they're getting bored with Free ranging and want their treat to lure them back in their runs.

 

I assumed they had an inbuilt sense of what was dangerous (I know sense and chicken is a difficult concept!!) but they are quite smart where food is involved.

 

Anyone else heard this about the leaves ??

 

H

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Mine have been demolishing my tomatoes, they live up the top of the garden at the moment - eating all my cherry toms, and they have been eating the leaves as well, don't seem to have any ill effect! I boiled some potato peelings the other night and mixed in some porridge oats...they devoured this, they loved it...found something warming for them for the winter :D

This forum is great for ideas...i have been 'recycling' their egg shells too, bake them in the oven for 15 mins, then crush them up in pestle & mortor and feed back to them in their food! I luv to recycle anything!

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Found this online:

 

 

It's fine for your chickens to eat the fruits of tomato, but the leave contain a nasty toxin that can be harmful.

 

Tomato leaves are very bitter so you'll fine chicken won't touch them very often, once tasted they tend to leave them alone. Potato leaves are the same too, as tomato and potato plants are related.

Source(s):

Poultry farm manager.

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