name that weed

[mopinko]

can someone identify this weed? it appears to be something in the nightshade family, and i wonder if the chickens could eat it. obviously leery. but they have picked my yard pretty clean, and i am looking to weeds at the farm that i can harvest. these are kinda plentiful. the berries are purple when they ripen.

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

1. Wow!

To introduce, I am a very beginner forager.

Leaves look as tho they were chowed on by an insect then left alone!
That in itself would make me question the plant.

Check out some foraging sites. This might be a good place to start.

http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/

Maybe you could email him the pic and see if he could id it.

There are many many more foraging sites but Steve is one of the best!

[Viva_La_Revolution]

2. Black Nightshade

Solanum nigrum

Usually poisonous to humans, birds and critters like it though.

[Curmudgeoness]

3. Agree it is black nightshade. I was curious

about whether chickens could eat it, so I did a search and found an interesting site that said do not feed them to chickens.

This is a list of many plants that are toxic, or potentially toxic to poultry. Note however, that even if chickens have access to toxic plants, they will usually avoid them. Care should be taken however, as there is still a chance of them ingesting harmful plants, especially if they are very hungry.

http://chickens.wikia.com/wiki/Plants_Toxic_to_Chickens

[mopinko]

4. thanks much.

appears that ripe beans are edible. i may give it a try. a little diarrhea isn't gonna kill them.
they do know what not to eat, but after they have eaten everything else, they will eat it anyway. i think if i watch them, they will pick out the ripe berries, and i can take away the rest.