The "rhubarb" post has got me thinking. I was told years ago that chooks are "poison proof". They won't eat bad stuff unless they are starving and most poisons go straight through them with little harm. Of course I have never tested this but I have never seen, a poisoned chook. Certainly the morning glory vine (which are toxic I believe) along my chook fence does not affect my girls. What say you all - myth or no? BTW - the morning glory is pretty poison proof itself.
Bill, I have had chooks for most of my life and have twice thought I had a poisoned chook. Both times I took the dead bird to a vet and both times other causes were noted. Once was coccidiosis [and a parasite overload] and the other time there was a stab/pierce wound up under the wing possibly caused by a piece of wire. The bird died from internal bleeding. Sadly, I once fed [for a short while] my rabbits and chooks on crotelaria regrowth. At about the time I noticed the chooks weren't eating it much I had managed to poison all of my rabbits and half died straight away and the other half survived but were never in tip-top shape again. Anything over about 7 years of age that has died I put down to old age. I had one chook, 2 owners later, that was still raising little ones [and lots of them] at 15 years of age when I last saw her. I have sold a lot of chooks and try to keep the flock at around 20 hens and 2 roosters. It is not hard to get rid of old birds to new starters if they are offered in the right way. Anyway, I digress. floot