Can Chickens Eat Poison Ivy? (Everything You Need To Know)

While most humans are extremely allergic to poison ivy, several animals can safely consume it.

It is hardly surprising that chickens show no adverse effects after eating or coming in contact with poison ivy.

So the question is – Can Chickens Eat Poison Ivy?

It is a general consensus that chickens can consume small amounts of poison Ivy as treats.

That said, if your chickens have been eating poison ivy, you should be extremely cautious while handling them as they can transfer residual allergens to you.

But the last time I emphasized being careful with poison ivy, someone asked me: “Have you been watching Batman?”.

If that’s the case, I assure you that poison Ivy is neither fictitious nor some woman.

Anyways, if this is the first you are reading about poison ivy.

Then, you must be wondering:

What Is Poison Ivy?

Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) is a North American climbing plant that secrets oily resin – Urushiol that causes skin allergy to most humans.

Now, poison ivy can cause skin rashes in apes and in some species of hamsters.

However, this plant appears to be safe for most animals.

In fact, animals like songbirds, goats, and deer specifically look for poison ivy as treats.

Consequently, some scientists have even theorized that:

Perhaps, poison Ivy developed Uroshiol to deter human and large mammalian presence.

However, this may not be true at all.

You see, urushiol reduces microbial growth as well as the reproduction of certain pests.

Furthermore, only selective insects tend to reside in poison ivy leaves and flowers.

So, this evidence suggests that:

Most likely, poison ivy developed Uroshiol as a natural antimicrobial and pesticide agent.

And so, animals that fondly eat poison ivy may also benefit from these characteristics.

Or, eating poison ivy is more like a natural way to rid an animal of pathogens.

But this does not answer:

Why Are Humans Sensitive To Poison Ivy?

Because our immune system is too vigilant.

You see, urushiol is an oily resin that is completely harmless.

However, it can bind with human CD1 proteins that initiate T-cell growth.

Now, T-cells tend to eliminate sick cells.

So,when produced specifically through CD1 receptors they release interleukin-17 and interleukin-22 into the bloodstream.

These immune proteins target cells containing urushiol (see figure 1), or all those cells exposed to poison ivy.

In short, human immunity over-reacts to a harmless compound killing its own skin cells.

Therefore, the blisters produced by poison ivy contain human skin dead cells.

These cannot further trigger allergies to others.

Can Chickens Eat Poison Ivy?

Figure 1: Representing How Poison Ivy Causes Allergy in Humans

About 10-15% of all humans are naturally tolerant to poison ivy. However, some humans can even develop sensitivity with repeated exposures to the Poisonous Ivy.

But elderly people rarely experience poison Ivy allergy. It’s because the immune system lowers down with increasing age.

Anyways, what’s the use of all this discussion if you still cannot recognize and avoid poison ivy. So, I present to you:

Identifying Poison Ivy

Now, poisonous ivy is a climbing plant that typically grows on trees.

However, it can also grow on pavements, buildings, walls, and even cracked corners.

Normally, poisonous ivy stem and leaves are greenish in color.

A single leaf is composed of three leaflets, with one large leaf in the middle and two small leaves joined by short stalks on either side.

The leaves are lance-shaped with distinct lobes or margins along the edges.

Young leaves are glossy and reddish, but old leaves appear green and rather rough.

The flowers are white and only grow in spring however, seeds or fruiting bodies are found on the underside of leaves nearly all times.

Poison ivy has different shades and appearances in different seasons, making it somewhat tricky to recognize.

Here is a list of changes in poison ivy’s appearance with each season:

Season	Leaves	Stem/Stalks	Flowers	Remarks
Spring	Red or green	Green	Green Flower buds.	Buds turn into off-white flowers.
Summer	Flashy red to Green.	Green	Flowers present till mid-summer.	Pollination occurs.
Fall	Yellow, Red-orange, and faded leaves.	Green-red.	Absent	–
Winter	Deep red leaves shriveling off.	Leafless stalks with a red tinge.	Absent	Buds and leaves start to appear by the end of the season.

Since urushiol is present in poison ivy sap which means the plant is only toxic when it is damaged enough to release sap.

You see, even insects and strong wind can squeeze out poison ivy sap.

Furthermore, the urushiol is oily and tends to stick on surfaces for a long time.

Therefore, the entire poison ivy should be treated with care, damaged or not.

I suggest you don’t directly touch poison ivy even to identify it.

So what about chickens?

Is it bad for them?

Let’s find out

Is Poison Ivy Bad For Chickens?

Well, there is no evidence available to suggest that poison ivy is unhealthy for chickens.

Besides, poison ivy contains vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, and even lipids.

Poison ivy should add nutritional value to a chicken’s diet.

Furthermore, poison ivy may help chickens naturally reduce pathogenic bacteria.

That said, the nutrients in poison ivy are limited.

But, over-consumption of poison ivy can cause malnutrition or perhaps toxic effects.

So,

One should never try to give poison ivy as a complete meal to chickens or any other animals.

The rule of thumb for excelling in poultry is to give chickens all kinds of foods but in moderate amounts.

How Should I Feed Poison Ivy To My Chickens?

Since poison ivy is toxic to human skin, you can only appropriately feed poison ivy to your chickens while free-ranging.

You must ensure that you don’t handle your chickens right after they have eaten poison ivy.

Why?

Well, because poison ivy residues can transfer from chickens and other pets to their human owners.

But this suggestion brings us to another dilemma.

“Why Should One Even Feed Poison Ivy to Chickens?”

You see, chickens have so many options to eat, that going out of the way to feed them poison ivy seems rather unnecessary.

Also, your chicken is likely to live a long life without ever tasting poison ivy.

Quite literally as your chickens are likely to live long enough to see their grandkids’ grandkids.

Unless, of course, you wish to fry your chickens young and then eat them.

So, you can simply avoid the whole cumbersome experience of feeding poison ivy to chickens.

But perhaps, your chickens ate some poison ivy while free-ranging so you may be thinking…

What You Should Do If Your Chicken Eats Poison Ivy?

Well, clean the chickens, contaminated surfaces, and then take a shower.

You see, a small amount of poison ivy is alright for your chickens, you on the other hand are more at risk of exposure.

Since urushiol is an oily resin, you need to use lipid-cutting soap like dishwashing detergent.

You can also use specific poison ivy removing products like Technu handwash.

I suggest you do the following:

Give your chickens a dust bath before letting them enter their coop. Later give them a proper soapy water bath, but use gloves while handling them.
Wash your hands with dishwasher soap and warm water. This will remove urushiol from your skin and will remove any allergic reactions. The warm water may remove any preliminary itching.
If you have any cuts on your hands or arms, then wash your hands with dishwasher soap and cool water. This will slow down the spread of poison ivy in your body.
Wash the utensils, tools, or any fabric that has come in contact with poison ivy or the chickens while they were feeding on the plant.
Since poison ivy residues can stay in a single place for days. Therefore, always wash chicken eggs with soapy water before using them.

I must mention that chickens are unlikely to increase poison ivy spread by producing droppings-containing poison ivy seeds.

Since poison ivy seeds are already exposed to stomach acids, most of these digested seeds lack the ability to germinate further.

But if the spread of poison ivy was all you were concerned about, then you must be wondering:

How Do You Kill Poison Ivy?

It depends on your preferences and the area you wish to purge from Poison Ivy growth.

Here is a list of the most commonly used methods for killing Poison Ivy.

Method	Details	Advantages	Disadvantages
Biological Control	Certain animals like goats and sheep specifically look for Poison Ivy to consume it. And so, one can simply get a goat to eat poison ivy.	Environmental-friendly solution. Does not require much attention to detail.	Requires a goat or sheep. Animals may not eat poison ivy roots, so the plant will soon regrow. Also, you cannot force-feed poison ivy to any animal. You will need to buy or borrow a goat. The method may be impractical for certain cases.
Physical Removal	Wear gloves, masks and rubber clothes. Cut down poison ivy stalks and put them in plastic bags by turning them inside out, exactly how you remove the dog waste. Wash all your equipment and then wash up.	Environmental-friendly and efficient solution for small areas.	It is impractical for large areas. Time-consuming and laborious.
Chemical Control	Spray poison Ivy specific pesticides such as Roundup to chemically remove these plants.	The most invasive and practical method.	Chemical treatment may cause hazardous run-off. Harmful for pets.
Salting In	Create concentrated brine solution (Salt in water) and spray water around poison Ivy to dip the plant roots in salt.	Homebased remedy to kill the plant without much effort.	Salinity may cause the death of all plants in the surrounding area, for a prolonged period of time.
Home-Made Pesticide	Add and Mix: 3 tablespoons of dish wash soap. 1 gallon of 20% vinegar or acetic acid. Half cup of salt. Water to dilute the mixture and mix all ingredients. Spray this solution on poison ivy for at least two weeks.	Homebased remedy that works effectively: The soap will reduce the lipid layer therefore urushiol from the plant. Salt will reduce plant water uptake, initiating the wilting process. Vinegar burns up the plant.	Requires attention to detail. Time-consuming.
Combination Method	Snip the plant body as much as you can. Sparingly apply pesticides on the remaining stems and roots by using some brush.	Maximum efficiency without excessive use of pesticides.	Time-consuming. It is still a chemical method.

Here are a few more suggestions to help you:

The best time yon rid yourself of poison ivy is late summer around July or August.
If you are spraying pesticide use flat sprinklers rather than conical jet nozzles. This will reduce the amount of pesticide needed to cover the poison ivy plants.
You can use diesel or oil to remove urushiol though, this method will be too harsh for your hands.
If inflammation starts, wash your hands several times and then apply either cortisone gel or calamine gels to reduce inflammation. However,

Regardless of the intensity of inflammation, do seek professional advice.

Note:

Urushiol is an oily substance so, burning this may turn it into unburned fumes that may directly enter through lungs.

Since inflammation of the lungs can cause respiratory distress or even death by suffocation never try to kill poison ivy by burning the plant. Doing so may cause severe health concerns or even death.

But poison ivy is the least of your concerns when free-ranging chickens.

There are certain plants that are harmless to humans but may be toxic for chickens.

Now, you may be thinking can chickens avoid such poisonous substances.

Or,

Will Chickens Eat Poisonous Plants?

They certainly will if they find it appetizing enough.

You see, most poisonous substances have a bitter taste to them and chickens instinctively reject most of these plants.

But they may eat all those foods that are sweet in taste but poisonous.

So, chickens will eat anything, eventually.

Besides, last time I checked chickens cannot google to check if their food is healthy for them.

Anyways, all it comes down to what is available to your chicken.

I present to you the foods that you need to keep an eye on.

1. Edible Plants Poisonous to Chickens

Here is a list:

Plant	Toxin for Chicken	Remarks
Avocados	Persin	Overdose can cause respiratory distress, edema, and even death.
Citrus	–	Chickens seem to preen more than usual.
Eggplants	Solanine-like chemicals are present. These mainly include Solasonine and Solamargine.	Best avoid raw eggplants.
Raw or Dried beans	Phytohemmaaglutin	Cooked beans may be alright.
Green Potato Skins	Solanine	Toxic in high quantities.
Spinach	Oxalates	Calcium absorption is affected.
Onions	Thiosuphates	May cause hemolytic anemic.
Unshelled Nuts	May contain mycotoxins	Avoid moist or old walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, and peanuts.
Leaves of Rhubarb, Potatoes, or Tomato Plants	Oxalate crystals and glycoalkaloids	May cause renal failure.
Iceberg lettuce	–	Causes diarrhea. So, it’s best to avoid.
Seasoned and Processed food	–	Salt, Sugar, Coffee, Liquor.
Mangoskins	–	Irritation

2. Ornamental Plants Poisonous for Chickens

Here is a list:

Azalea and foxglove
Buttercup family
Daffodil
Boxwood
Cherry laurel and Mountain laurel
Daphne and Honeysuckle
Hydrangea
Lily, Jasmine, and Tulip
Oleander
Sweet Pea
Mexican poppy and Tobacco
Monkshood and Wisteria
Rhododendron
Taxus Yew

3. Wild Pasture Plants Toxic for Chickens

These may include:

Black locusts
Castor Beans
Bladderpod
Corncockle and Hosenettle
Milkweed
Death camas
Mushrooms
European Black Nightshade
Poison and Water Hemlock
Jimsonweed
Rosary Pea
Pokeberry
Ferns
White snakeroot

Now, all these lists are neither complete nor absolute.

It’s because we rarely come across studies specifically discussing the role of these plants in killing a chicken.

Another thing is, individuals of the same species respond differently to numerous chemicals.

Wrapping Up

While poison ivy is not toxic to chicken, you should be careful giving it to your chickens.

I hope this article helped you in understanding, identifying, and making an informed decision regarding feeding poison ivy to your chickens.

If you are already suffering from poison ivy, I hope you get rid of the skin rash as well as poison ivy growing in your yard.