Nettles in my chicken run.

[TexasChick47]

My bad, guys. The title of my post should be NETTLES in my chicken run.

My new babies will be going outside in a few weeks. My chicken run has been vacant since January and there are NETTLES growing in it. Do I need to kill the NETTLES? If so, what can I safely use? Can I leave them there for the chicks to eat when they get moved in?

 

[Shadrach]

My bad, guys. The title of my post should be NETTLES in my chicken run.

My new babies will be going outside in a few weeks. My chicken run has been vacant since January and there are NETTLES growing in it. Do I need to kill the NETTLES? If so, what can I safely use? Can I leave them there for the chicks to eat when they get moved in?

Are they stinging nettles and is the ground covered in them?

 

[TexasChick47]

I believe they are stinging nettles. The leaves are 4 - 6 in long with spiny edges, growing in individual clusters. I'm pretty sure they are stinging. I've had a bad experience with them.

 

[aart]

Post a pic?
Not sure if chickens will eat them....but they would probably keep them from re-growing if you dug most of them up.

 

[paneubert]

I am actually not that concerned. People make tea from stinging nettles, and I think some people even eat them. Pretty sure the sting is from the micro spikes and not a chemical. But I am on my phone on the bus. So not a good researcher right now. I'll Google some stuff later. Grew up with acres of wild stinging nettles. A huge patch right under my rope swing.....risky swing situation. Haha.

 

[paneubert]

Initial info.

"Using stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) as chicken feed. ... But even though nettles grow in the chicken runs, the birds very rarely touch them, even if there is nothing else green left for them to pick, presumably because of the stinging hairs."

Also this couple page thread from our very own forum. Haha.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/stinging-nettles.352544/

 

[paneubert]

I think my recollection is right. It is mostly about the tiny spikes being irritating.

I would suggest cutting down the nettles and then the chickens can keep them low and small if they want to. If they don't then you know they dont like to eat them.

 

[TexasChick47]

Thanks all for your input. Have mowed them down and will keep fingers crossed.

 

[TexasChick47]

I reached out to my County Ag Extension Agent for Johnson County, Texas. This is his reply -

"From my past experience nettles do not do the same harm as they do to us human for chickens and other fur/feather bearing animals. Chicks have been known to use them as cover in free/open range situations, but with them being in your chicken run I suppose that eliminating them would be better for your sake. If you do not have grass in your run(bare ground) using a non-selective herbicide (such as active ingredient glyphosate) to eliminate them would be ideal. There are lots of bare ground herbicides that will work. If you have grass (and are wanting to maintain that in your run, please reply and let me know if you have st Augustine, Bermuda, fescue, etc. etc.


On another note, you can chop these down or shred them and lots of livestock, including poultry will eat them after they have wilted."

I'm sure he won't mind my sharing his wisdom with you. Thanks for the replies y'all and "keep the cards and letters coming". Some of you will get that reference, some won't.

 

[Flagirl69]

Thanks all for your input. Have mowed them down and will keep fingers crossed.

My chickens love them and I suspect they came from crappy TS store.They pooed them all around the yard! Ouch!