merment Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 I am on the verge of letting my hens roam around the garden but I've read that these leaves are poisonous to them. Will they try to eat them or do they ignore them? Anyone know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 They will eat rhubarb leaves although they are supposed to be poisonous. Mine do this every year and live to tell the tale, but its not something I encourage and sometimes I net the rhubarb, particularly at this time of year when the leaves are newish. I think they do it because there is quite a lot of 'juice' in the leaf and mine go nuts for sorrel which is also sour and full of liquid I don't know about horseradish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlisonH Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 I carefully put wire around my rhubarb only to find my 2 chooks munching their way through the leaves -the potatoes as well,- they did it all last summer and never were ill. Some of the poisonous plants on the list like tulips and ivy they never seem to touch. I think they just know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMS6 Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 I think I read some where that rhubarb leaves won't poison them straight away but if they eat them regularaly it can affect their kidneys. We put a barrier around ours - after all we do grow the rhubarb for us to eat not them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Yes, they love rhubarb - as others have said, although its supposed to be poisonous I've never seen them appear ill afterwards. You won't get any rhubarb though, so I'd net it off! Mine don't show any interest in horseradish, which grows next to their run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merment Posted April 27, 2012 Author Share Posted April 27, 2012 Thanks guys, I will net it off to be sure. I expect they will try to eat through the net - seems chickens are like kids if there's something they shouldn't do/eat it they want it even more!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
House MD 221B Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I believe the advice here is accurate and should be followed, and you are wise to wire it off. However, we didn't learn this little tid bit before our original two girls had eaten 4 large entire rhubarb plants, with no ill effects, but they scoffed the lot and were fine. They probably shouldn't have, and we wouldn't have let them if we'd known, but Poach lived a very long and healthy life. (Scramble died due to another matter) All I'm saying is, wire it off if you can, but don't panic if they beat your defences and get at it. You shouldn't lose sleep over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
