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Hi all 🙂

Looking for some advice / thoughts about chickens and invasives, primarily multiflora rose and Japanese barberry, but others as well

First and foremost… My chickens free range, and while I have managed to remove both of the mentioned shrubs from the main part of my property, some remains in the more wooded sections that I am still battling

What’s worse (but you can skip this paragraph, it’s a separate issue) is my neighbors have a ton. So in the last week or so, my chickens have begun sneaking over to the neighbors to eat their barberry and rose hips. Which of course is not ideal, the neighbors are weekenders and rarely home, and also currently selling (hope new neighbors are nicer) but I still feel bad that my birds are ‘trespassing’. Whenever I notice them going that way I herd them back home but… They’re sneaky. And I don’t have the money for more fencing right now. But the chickens are so attracted to these shrubs, as they’re kinda the only thing with fruit this time of year here (upstate ny, zone 5b)

Which got me thinking – hey wouldn’t it be great if I could find a way to collect all the invasive berries off of my wooded lot and the surrounding forest preserve, both feeding my chickens and reducing the invasive seedbed in the wild

But the rose and barberry will just grow out of their poo, right? I compost their bedding which should hypothetically kill any seeds in there, but again… They free range so they poo everywhere anyway

Does anyone know a relatively low effort way to render the seeds infertile before giving them to the birds? Or have any general advice abt this situation?

I know that the simplest answer is just keep expanding my effort to remove these invasives, and fence the chickens off the neighbors property ASAP. But I can’t help but hope there’s a way to feed the berries to them as well without causing further spread

Hi all 🙂

Looking for some advice / thoughts about chickens and invasives, primarily multiflora rose and Japanese barberry, but others as well

First and foremost… My chickens free range, and while I have managed to remove both of the mentioned shrubs from the main part of my property, some remains in the more wooded sections that I am still battling

What’s worse (but you can skip this paragraph, it’s a separate issue) is my neighbors have a ton. So in the last week or so, my chickens have begun sneaking over to the neighbors to eat their barberry and rose hips. Which of course is not ideal, the neighbors are weekenders and rarely home, and also currently selling (hope new neighbors are nicer) but I still feel bad that my birds are ‘trespassing’. Whenever I notice them going that way I herd them back home but… They’re sneaky. And I don’t have the money for more fencing right now. But the chickens are so attracted to these shrubs, as they’re kinda the only thing with fruit this time of year here (upstate ny, zone 5b)

Which got me thinking – hey wouldn’t it be great if I could find a way to collect all the invasive berries off of my wooded lot and the surrounding forest preserve, both feeding my chickens and reducing the invasive seedbed in the wild

But the rose and barberry will just grow out of their poo, right? I compost their bedding which should hypothetically kill any seeds in there, but again… They free range so they poo everywhere anyway

Does anyone know a relatively low effort way to render the seeds infertile before giving them to the birds? Or have any general advice abt this situation?

I know that the simplest answer is just keep expanding my effort to remove these invasives, and fence the chickens off the neighbors property ASAP. But I can’t help but hope there’s a way to feed the berries to them as well without causing further spread

I’m thinking of planting a row mixed sea buckthorn and smaller fruiting bushes. Any suggestions?

I’m thinking of planting a row mixed sea buckthorn and smaller fruiting bushes. Any suggestions?