Was planting Malabar spinach a mistake?

I enjoy planting new things in my garden. This year I tried Malabar spinach. It grew well even though the heat of the summer, which is impressive since I live in Northern California zone 9B. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either.
I did notice it readily reseeding itself. I was a bit concerned about this, wondering if I would be constantly pulling seedlings next year.
I just learned it's a perennial in my zone. I don't remember reading it was a perennial or invasive, but it may be both. I probably would have still planted it, but I would have planted it in a pot, not my raised bed.
This spring I may try to dig up the tuber and plant it next to the chicken yard. The problem with this idea is I can't seem to find out if the seeds are harmful to chickens. There's lots of information about the leaves, and they are good for chickens. I can't find anything about the seeds. I think I read the berries are fine for humans, but should spit the seeds out, thought I can't find that tonight either, this is not a problem for me, because I didn't like the berries at all. So I'm just not sure it's completely safe.
I'm interested to know if you have grown Malabar spinach. Did it give you any trouble? Are you glad you planted it, or do you wish you hadn't?

I didn't like it at all and switched to red mountain spinach!
This is what the AI Grok says about it. Doesn't make it true, but it's an impressive amount of info they sift through. Probably next question they will find this post and use that in their answers, endlessly regurgitating info. But as you asked.

**No, Malabar seeds are not known to be poisonous to chickens.**

"Malabar seeds" most commonly refer to the **seeds of Malabar spinach** (Basella alba or Basella rubra), a heat-loving climbing vine grown as a leafy green vegetable (also called Ceylon spinach or vine spinach).

- The leaves and stems of Malabar spinach are widely considered safe and edible for chickens, similar to other greens humans eat. Chicken keepers often feed it without issues, and it's not listed in any major databases or guides of toxic plants for poultry (such as PoultryDVM or common backyard chicken resources).
- The berries (which contain the seeds) are edible for humans, and there's no evidence of toxicity to chickens. Chickens may not particularly like the taste (some reports say they ignore it), but it's not harmful.

If "Malabar seeds" instead refers to the **seeds/nuts of the Malabar chestnut** (Pachira aquatica, also called money tree or Guiana chestnut), opinions vary:
- These large nuts are eaten raw or cooked by humans in some regions (tasting like peanuts or chestnuts).
- However, some sources note potential toxicity due to compounds like cyclopropenoid fatty acids, with studies showing harm in rats. There's no specific data on chickens, so caution is advised—avoid feeding them.

In standard gardening and poultry contexts, "Malabar seeds" typically means the spinach variety, which is safe. Chickens generally avoid truly toxic plants instinctively, but always monitor your flock. If in doubt, stick to known safe treats like most leafy greens in moderation.

We grow Malabar spinach around chickens without any issues.

An edible, self reproducing ground cover is a pretty sweet deal when you think about it.

i also didn't like it too much. i liked the idea of spinach always on hand but it attracted too many insects (flea beetles that then went after my beans) and didn't actually produce nearly as many leaves as I would want in a perennial spinach-type plant. i spent more time pulling out seedlings than eating spinach.
the birds did really enjoy them, and for about a year after I pulled out the plant i kept finding more seedlings.

Thanks for the very helpful responses.
It sounds like it's fine to grow up the chicken yard fence. It also seems I will likely regret planting it in my raised beds. It wouldn't be too bad if it was a ground cover, but it's a vigorous vine that will choke the life out of anything in its area. Bummer 😕 Oh well what would life be without challenges.
Thank you all.

yep, it  reseeds itself. I don't see any signs it's regrowing from the same spot, but it's definitely reseeded itself.  Oh well I will replant some and pull the rest.

Yeah once it gets going it just keeps showing up. I had a similar thing with a few vigorous self-seeders in raised beds, you end up spending more time pulling seedlings than actually harvesting. At least the chickens get something out of it.

Joao Winckler wrote:Yeah once it gets going it just keeps showing up. I had a similar thing with a few vigorous self-seeders in raised beds, you end up spending more time pulling seedlings than actually harvesting. At least the chickens get something out of it.

I'm my garden, pulling up seedlings IS harvesting ;-)

I have decided Malabar spinach isn't a mistake. It did reseed all over the place, but the seedlings were easy to remove where I didn't want them, and that was that.
I still haven't managed to get it planted in the chicken yard. I definitely want to plant there, but if you know chickens, you know there must be something to protect the plant. It on my to-do list, but not very close to the top.
My son likes to add it to lots the food he makes, and I really enjoy how it looks. It's quite pretty.