Poisonous Weeds for Chickens

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Plants that will Poison Your Chickens

Chickens love to scratch and forage. They’re a pleasure to watch as they approach the tender, young leaves of a plant. Their head tilts from side to side as they eye it, checking for bugs, checking to see if it’s good to eat before *SNAP* their head shoots out and they snag a beakful of green leaves. Chickens can quickly decimate a garden. This can be devastating for a homestead! However, you can turn your chickens loose on a patch of weeds and watch them quickly disappear. Plus, chicken droppings help to re-fertilize the earth. 

Avoiding Poisonous Weeds for Chickens

Before you set the flock loose, however, there are some plants you need to look out for and pull up. These weeds are poisonous for chickens, and often poisonous for many other animals as well. 

Learn about the Best Chicken Breeds for Your Backyard

In general, your chicken would avoid these plants on their own. However, as they slowly decrease the amount of food available they will turn to poisonous weeds they’d otherwise avoid. Some weeds considered to be poisonous may not affect your chickens, but you should still do your best to clear them from the area to keep your chickens safe.

The Gallery of Poisonous Weeds for Chickens

The gallery below shows the substance contained by the plant that causes poisoning, what system it affects, the symptoms, the dangerous plant parts, and any other common names the weed may be known by. We chose to leave this in a gallery form because we know what it’s like to be desperately looking for a cause of death when a hen suddenly keels over and dies.

Please Leave a Comment or Send an Email if you know of another common weed that is poisonous for chickens that we missed!