Sudden Death - Broad Bean Infection

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Thanks everyone - have had a couple of sleepless nights over this - but now know not to feed the broad beans to the chickens, I feel so awful. Cheers

Hi, Does anyone know why the local gamekeeper has said that the sudden death of two of my hens could have been caused by a mite on the broad bean leaves I gave them on Monday, both birds where healthy and young, they fell off the perch's Tuesday and yesterday.
 
Hi, were they very thin? and pale looking? Did you check your coop for red mites? I can't think of anything that would kill them on broad beans sorry.
regards, David :)
 
I did a quick search.

Broad bean plants are classsed as toxic apparently. The search returns had info popping up all over and listed them as dangerous and potentially fatal. Defo on the 'do not feed to' list if keeping budgies and other birds. I"d say you could apply it to chickens also then. I guess they mean the beans themselves (or the pods perhaps). Mentions of the leaves are rare.

Worth researching some more to ensure you are read up on whats written about it.
 
Yup, it keeps cropping up as toxic and not to feed them to birds. I even found them included on lists of not safe for poultry.

http://www.chickenkeepingsecrets.com/chicken-health/oak-trees-acorns-chickens/

http://www.internationaldovesociety.com/Articles/plantlist.htm

I'd class the entire plant as unsafe to be on the safe side. Beans are defo known to be toxic of not prepared correctly.
 
I think the broad bean query may relate to G6PDD / Favism (inherited disorder ) causing haemolytic anaemia on. Ingestion of chemical found in broad beans and other things--(-mainly lost to recall in my decomposing brain cells!) but -I am pretty sure this can affect birds.Ros.
 
Hi Redhen,

I'm very sorry to hear about you losing your hens.

I must admit I haven't heard of broad bean leaves being poisonous to chickens but I will investigate this. I have been keeping a list of poisonous plants to chickens but haven't come across this one up until now...

If it keeps popping up on different list on Google as Snifter suggests, my guess is it there may well be a problem.

For your hens to 'fall off the perch', there must be a serious poison involved and I am surprised death was so sudden.. :?

Tim
 
Sorry to hear of the death of your hens. :cry:

I'll not be giving any to my hens as we often given them veg plants from our garden and My Mum who grows loads of things.

Thanks for posting this on the forum and saving other hens from the same sudden death,

Greenhen
 
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