chicken rant

[lizzylemon]

bloody cows have only knocked over the fence and eaten my whole rhubarb plants that I only exposed today. So **((*& angry.

[di]

Not meaning to worry you....and I may be wrong...but aren't rhubarb leaves poisonous for chooks??

[lizzylemon]

well the good news is we had this debate a few months(?) ago and the outcome was we don't think so - other people have experienced chook/rhubarb clash and the chooks won!

[Flummery]

I understood that they are toxic in large quantities but that in small amounts they are one of nature's wormers. Maybe chooks can self-medicate? I'd be wary of them overdosing though! (Still in new mummy mode!)

Speaking of Bl**dy cows, a farmer friend of ours had a cow that sat down - on one of his chickens. Stone dead (and flat) poor thing. So it could have been worse, Lizzy!

[lizzylemon]

I understood that they are toxic in large quantities but that in small amounts they are one of nature's wormers. Maybe chooks can self-medicate? I'd be wary of them overdosing though! (Still in new mummy mode!)

I'm doubling up the wire mesh in between getting dinner ready, playing with daughter, drinking tea and getting a debriefing from Hubles on his day

Speaking of Bl**dy cows, a farmer friend of ours had a cow that sat down - on one of his chickens. Stone dead (and flat) poor thing. So it could have been worse, Lizzy!

Does it make me really bad that I found this completely hilarious??!!

[Flummery]

Oh yes, you're a wicked woman! (That's why we like you!!)

[frias]

Does it make me really bad that I found this completely hilarious??!!

Hehehe me too!

[chicken slave]

Chooks will not overdose themselves on rhubarb leaves, mine go and have a little bit every other day, they have never had worms or any bad effects from them. Nature apparently is pretty good at looking afteritself it's just when humans intervene with synthetic chemicals the trouble starts.

[Hilary B]

Chooks will not overdose themselves on rhubarb leaves, mine go and have a little bit every other day, they have never had worms or any bad effects from them. Nature apparently is pretty good at looking afteritself it's just when humans intervene with synthetic chemicals the trouble starts.

The other aspect of 'human intervention' which could be dangerous in this context is when people OFFER unsuitable food to confined creatures. While I would expect chooks to be suitably cautious with growing rhubarb (probably), I would recommend NEVER putting the trimmed leaves in their run. They just might fail to realise that it isn't safe to eat much....