Are apples safe to feed to Chickens?

[jenyoung312]

Hi! I'm a newbie here. I was eating an apple this evening and thought of chopping up the core and whatever pieces I didn't use to give to my girls. I want to be sure I make the best of any and all scraps we have in our home, to keep the cost of feed down for our chickens. They are 6 weeks old now.Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[pdirt]

An apple core given to your chickens is a great way to reduce waste, but it won't much affect your feed bill. Apples are a tasty treat, but too low in protein to help affect your feed bill much. You can also feed other kitchen scraps, but limit the scraps to no more than 10-20% of their total daily diet. Most scraps are low protein, which is why you want to limit it. Unless, of course, you are feeding them leftover meatloaf, pork chops, fish, etc, ideally with little to no salt.

Also, Apple seeds are somehwt toxic. For humans, I beleive you need to eat at least 2 cups of pure Apple seeds to reach toxic levels. Not sure how that equates for chickens, but an apple core here or there for several birds isn't going to hurt them any. In fact, some folks beleive that while the poison in Apple seeds are toxic in great quantities, they can be immune system stimulating in small amounts.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Practically everything you or your chickens eat contains some poison or something that could harm you or them. The secret is dosage. You have to eat enough of that poison for it to cause harm.

One good example is potatoes. There is a poison in regular potatoes but a normal healthy adult would have to eat about 50 pounds or more of baked potatoes for them to eat enough of that poison to cause any harm. And the liver is so good at removing that poison from the body that you would pretty much have to eat 50 pounds at one serving. A chicken does not weigh as much as a human but they would have to eat a lot more than their crop will hold for regular potatoes to cause a problem. Yes there is a poison in them but it is not a danger. You or they simply cannot eat enough for it to cause a problem.

One word of warning on potatoes. If they potatoes are green then that poison is concentrated. Green potatoes are not healthy for you or the chickens to eat. But regular white potatoes are not a problem.

Another very popular treat for chickens that contains a poison is cabbage. There is something in cabbage that can affect the thyroid. The affect can be cumulative too. The body is not real great at removing it so it can build up over time. But a normal healthy human would have to eat a few pounds of cabbage every day for a few weeks for that chemical to build up enough to cause any harm.

The main thing from this is to not give your chickens huge amounts of things you feed as treats. Make sure most of what they eat is their regular feed. And don’t give them the same treat every day. Vary it a bit. What they need is a balanced diet. Too much of a good thing is often not a good thing. But treats fed in moderation are not a problem at all. Just make sure they have grit.

Apple seeds and most fruit seeds are that way. They do contain a poison but it is a very tiny amount. Don’t feed them a huge pile of pure apple seeds but tossing them an apple core or two is certainly not going to cause any problems. At six weeks old you don’t need to chop it for them. They are quite capable of destroying a whole apple or apple core by themselves.

 

[jenyoung312]

Thanks so much for the input! Love the explanation.

 

[missy1462]

Pretty sure my girls were not standing in line when the good Lord handed out eating instructions. They don't like strawberries, nor cabbage, nor melons, nor corn on the cob ...

 

[jenyoung312]

Mine love water melon rinds. Strawberry tops, and cut up grapes too.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I make apple cider in the fall with my own press,so the girls get lots of apple mush. So far, I've had no complaints!

 

[Teila]

Tee hee missy1462 apparently my gals were off partying with your gals when the eating instructions were handed out

They also do not like strawberries and corn on the cob is a “chicken trap!” .. cabbage and water melon is a yum though.

Apples are a definitely yuk on their preferable foods list. I did just want to add though I have a friend whose daughter chopped up an apple and they nearly lost a rooster due to choking so if you are going to give them apple, make sure it is of a size where they can peck off bite sized pieces.

 

[missy1462]

I bet they were getting into meanness together, Teila. Mine are so funny that a bit of Romaine lettuce (instead of iceberg lettuce) willl send them all scurrying into a corner together, or the henhouse if it's closer to them. I put a small little wooden wagon in their run, loaded with fresh dirt for them to mess around and play on. Took em a week before they were willing to get within 2 feet of it ...

 

[mikealicia]

I enjoy treads like this for the information that comes from it. We have given the skin to our chicks, but still we make sure their feed is more than enough for them to eat along with any scraps we give them.