So, Can Chickens Eat Honeysuckle?

Love them or hate them, honeysuckles are probably here to stay. As dense shrubs or growing come up creeping vines, there are few people who have not partaken of the childhood tradition of getting a little drop of nectar out of these pretty but pesky flowers.

But how about our chickens? Can chickens eat honeysuckle?

Chickens may eat some honeysuckle plants, but there are so many in the genus Lonicera, we don’t have toxicity data for all, so you need to be careful. Some varieties of honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica, Lonicera confusa, Lonicera similis, Lonicera flos) are safe for chickens (the leaves and flowers that we know of, in low amounts) because there is research backing them up, but plants that are commonly or mistakenly called “honeysuckle” can be toxic.

Here’s a quick overview with some of varieties have been tested, and the benefits of each:

• L. japonica
  • Better weight gain, increased antioxidant activity, but they used a mix of plant extracts (source)
  • Increased weight (source)
  • This one used a mix of plants and resulted in better eggs
  • Improved weight gain (source)
• Lonicera confusa (tested as an extract)
  • increased antioxidant activity and reduced inflammation with no adverse effects (source)
• Lonicera flos (extract)
  • improved egg quality (source)
• Lonicera similis
  • With this one they actually used leaves granules, not an extract

I found even more studies showing no adverse effects with various honeysuckle plants, but you get the idea. Just keep in mind that most of these studies used plant extracts.

The bigger issue is that the similarities between honeysuckle varieties’ appearance can make positive identification a challenge for YOU, and if you have any doubt you shouldn’t let your birds nibble on them. Keep in mind that plants sharing a common name can have very different toxicities, so be careful!

Anyway, I will tell you everything you need to know about potentially feeding honeysuckle to your chickens below…

Health Benefits of Honeysuckle for Chickens

Aside from being a source of fiber, calories, vitamins and minerals, honeysuckle has shown considerable promise in a variety of studies as having potent anti-inflammatory properties, albeit as an extract, as we’ve just seen in the studies linked above… This should give your birds a much needed boost to their health, and older or injured birds in particular could benefit from these qualities.

Can Chickens Eat Honeysuckle Raw?

Chickens may eat the flowers and leaves of some honeysuckle varieties raw assuming that it is a safe species (Lonicera japonica , Lonicera confusa, Lonicera similis, Lonicera hypoglauca, Lonicera macranthoides, Lonicera fulvotomentosa). Honeysuckle has a fairly limited nutritional profile, and cooking will only further deplete it.

Now, most studies have focused on plant extracts, and what they typically used were either the flowers (in most cases), or the leaves. So until we have more data, avoid giving your birds the berries or other parts of the plants.

Can Chickens Eat Honeysuckle Leaves?

Chickens may eat honeysuckle leaves off of safe species (including Lonicera similis and Lonicera hypoglauca) so long as they show interest in them. Particularly when honeysuckle is growing as a shrub the leaves and stems can prove quite resilient and hard to digest, so chickens are likely to avoid them.

The leaves were used in a couple of studies to see the effects they have in poultry birds, specifically these two:

• Lonicera hypoglauca (this one was shown to be safe for geese, not chickens)
• Lonicera similis (study done on broiler chickens)

Can Chickens Eat the Berries?

Chickens should not eat the berries of honeysuckle plants because there isn’t enough evidence to show they are safe (or toxic). Plus they have some compounds that could harm them…

Some honeysuckle species have these so-called triterpenoid saponins which, at high enough doses, can reduce feed intake and lead to slower growth in your birds. Now this doesn’t necessarily mean the berries themselves have this effect, it’s more of a reasonable assumption.

Can Chickens Eat It Cooked?

Chickens may eat some cooked honeysuckle varieties (the leaves and the flowers, in particular) with likely no ill effects, though, as mentioned, there is no really good reason to cook them prior to letting your birds dig in.

Alternately, the leaves, blooms, and other parts may be used to make a tea or tisane that you can add to chicken feed order to give your chickens a boost of hydration while also the anti-inflammatory properties we talked about.

Caution: Some Honeysuckle Varieties are Toxic

There seems to be a lot amount of confusion regarding the toxicity of honeysuckle vines or bushes, both for human consumption and for consumption by animals. Stories abound of people claiming they were made ill by eating honeysuckle blooms or berries, while other folks swear that the eating of honeysuckle hurt neither them nor their animals, be it dog or chicken.

Who is right? The answer is that both are… in a way…

Chickens can eat some of the true honeysuckle varieties. I’m specifically referring to plants in the genus Lonicera, but some of the most common varieties being found in North America such as the Japanese honeysuckle, trumpet honeysuckle and common honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica, Lonicera sempervirens, Lonicera confusa, Lonicera similis, Lonicera flos, or and Lonicera periclymenum) though there are others.

All of these plants, even invasive species like the Japanese honeysuckle, are eaten by birds. The berries, typically blue, purplish black, black or red, being readily eaten by animals, but we don’t know if these are toxic to chickens or to what extent, though, only that they may have some adverse effects.

The berries are mildly poisonous, but this doesn’t seem to deter animals hardly at all and in fact consumption by animals, and birds specifically, has led to the rapid spread of invasive species outside of their native range.

Ask any chicken owner that has Japanese honeysuckle growing on their property if there are chickens like it and they will probably answer in the affirmative. 

The safety of true honeysuckle plants for birds is readily confirmed because you will only rarely see them included on the lists of toxic and dangerous plants for birds, including chickens. That being said, it should be noted that there are many dozen different varieties of true honeysuckle, with some being more toxic than others, while others are naturally non-toxic.

You should not assume it just because a plant is a true honeysuckle that it is safe, but most of the common varieties growing around North America are safe for chickens to eat, at least on a limited basis.

My rule of thumb is that if my chickens show any aversion to the plant when they would otherwise forage and nibble in the immediate area, I will take pains to block or fence it off if I cannot remove it. But if my chickens show a little bit of interest in it, there is usually no harm in letting them take a few bites.

It’s Imposter Honeysuckle Plants that Will Kill Your Chickens

Part of the confusion surrounding honeysuckles, and the cause of more than a few deaths, results from people confusing other similar flowers for the real thing, or calling some other varieties of plant entirely by the nickname honeysuckle out of ignorance or tradition.

Many such plants are seriously too lethally poisonous for chickens. For instance, the Japanese andromeda (Pieris japonica) has a pretty, drooping white to pale pink flowers arrayed along its length which may sometimes be confused for honeysuckles.

Then of course there is too the similarity in the scientific name! This plant has these grayanotoxins which will bind to the sodium channels of a chicken’s heart resulting in seizures and convulsions. Ingesting large quantities can result in lasting damage in some livestock, or death from complications.

Other plants that are routinely confused for honeysuckles are azaleas (rhododendrons). Yet another plant with many different types found all around North America, the flowers are packed with dangerous diterpene grayanotoxins in other species.

Poisoning from azaleas is extremely serious in various livestock, and can result in heart arrhythmia, tremors, inability to stand, edema, grand mal seizures and death. Could it be toxic to chickens as well?

Regardless, these are just two of the many imposter plants that are referred to as honeysuckles sometimes, and instances like this are what will also sometimes see honeysuckles landed on lists of dangerous and toxic plants for chickens.

Beware of Pesticides and Herbicides on Wild Honeysuckle

One more thing you should keep in mind is that wild honeysuckle, at least those that are not growing on your property and under your direct control, could be treated with a variety of pesticides or herbicides, both being chemicals that can harm your chickens.

This is especially pertinent to allowing your flock to chow down on a honeysuckle because invariably these species are hardy, fast growing and highly invasive, meaning that many property owners are Keen to get rid of them by any means necessary.

Even so, once treated the honeysuckle might rebound or show no outward signs of having been dosed.

Since so many common herbicides and pesticides are harmful to chickens and can build up in their tissues over time, you shouldn’t run the risk of feeding wild honeysuckle to your chickens unless you know they are uncontaminated and a non-toxic species.

How Often Can Chickens Have Honeysuckle?

Assuming the honeysuckle is a non-toxic species, your chickens can have it as an occasional treat or supplement to their diet of chicken feed.

Most avian health experts recommend that chickens should subsist primarily on chicken feed, with it making up at least a 90% of their diet.

The remaining 10% of their calorie intake can come from supplemental foods and treats, with honeysuckle included. Keep in mind the studies I quoted gave extracts or granules at really small doses, around 0.03 – 0.3% of their diets.

Generally, so long as your birds are getting plenty of chicken feed and they want to nibble on honeysuckle a little bit when you allow them to range there is no harm in it.

Preparing Honeysuckle for Your Flock

The best way to serve a honeysuckle to your chickens is simply to allow them to eat it wherever they find it in the area, or else you can harvest the honeysuckle and serve it to them as you would with any other supplemental food.

Cooking honeysuckle is not needed or recommended as it will deplete the vitamins present in the plant, and even in the case of the hardier, tougher species it usually won’t make it any more appealing to your birds. Save your time and a little bit of aggravation by allowing your flock to eat it raw.

Can Baby Chicks Have Honeysuckle, Too?

Yes, baby chicks may eat honeysuckle but with a couple of caveats. First, you must be absolutely, positively sure that they are not allowed to eat any toxic variety, as they will be even more vulnerable to the harmful compounds in those species.

Second, you should let your chicks get a little bit older before introducing novel foods like honeysuckle to their diet. Once they reach a few weeks of age you can let them try honeysuckle, or other greenery, for the first time. As always, keep an eye on them in case they show signs of distress, indigestion or other problems.