Can chickens eat black walnuts and leaves from the tree?

[Chicabee19]

What about the hulls that encase the walnuts?

thanks!

 

[fullhouse]

Mine do, we have a black and a shagbark. No one's dead yet.

 

[digitS']

Wow! I'd have thought the tannin would curl their toes . . .

 

[goldensunriseranch]

Mine totally ignore them, both the leaves and the fallen walnuts. Except when my son bowls the walnuts at them, then they run from them.

I do sometimes worry somebody is going to get hit by one falling from the tree though, they make an awful big thump when they hit the ground.

 

[Chicabee19]

for some reason the crows like to drop them on our three skylights early in the morning!

 

[ivan3]

We have both Black Walnuts and Hickory nuts (lots of both). The chooks pretty much ignore us when they realize we're cracking Black Walnuts. However, if we are cracking hickory nuts it's a pain to keep them away as they grab any bit they can get to. Off course, if all your chooks have access to are Black Walnuts, then they might eat the heck out of them (don't know).

 

[Jilara]

I wouldn't let them eat too many leaves or hulls, due to the tanin content. I'm impressed that they eat them at all!

 

[reallemons1]

Herbalists often use black walnut as a wormer for people and some animals. Does anyone know if it would work as a wormer in chickens? Just a thought.

 

[digitS']

Quote:
Keep your horses away from them, reallemons1:

BLACK WALNUT Juglans nigra, University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine

laminitis: inflammation of the laminated tissue that attaches the hoof to the foot of a horse;
founder

Steve

 

[reallemons1]

Yep, thanks for the warning. We are always careful to get wood shavings without black walnut in them.