Acorn's

[sfisher]

Will chickens eat acorn's??

 

[NewGuineaChooks]

Our chickens eat acorns. It's a bit problematic, because they seem to collect in the crop, not moving down to the gizzard where they can be ground up and digested. When I butcher roosters, they have a collection of acorns and caps in their crop, even if I've had them away from food for 24 hours.

 

[Dana]

My chickens love acorns, but I try not to let them eat any because I read that the tannins in the acorns are bad for them.

NewGuineaChooks: I'm surprised that your chickens eat the caps as well, that seems like a very strange thing for them to eat.

 

[sfisher]

I'm building my pen under a big oak tree that drops alot of acorn's. Does anybody think it will be a problem? They will also free range in a 1/2 acre lot, that is almost all oak trees. Would extra grit help? The ground here is sandy, and I figured they would get enough grit in their crop that way.

 

[1acrefarm]

I have several oaks in and around my yard. I sometimes use oak leaves which contain acorns for litter. I have yet to have any problems from it. If your soil is sandy I think you are ok for grit too. I never give mine supplemental grit.

 

[greyfields]

Please send all your acorns to our farm for our piggies. They go ape for them.

 

[ginasmarans]

We didn't have any acorns this year

. The late freeze killed them all and killed one of our huge white oak trees. But,when we did get acorns,my hens loved the ones I would step on and squash for them.

 

[sfisher]

I kinda figured a whole acorn, would be hard for a chicken to swallow. If they do like them, I hope their gizzard can grind them. It would save me alot of money, on feed.

 

[1acrefarm]

Mine normally just grab the acorn pieces that fall from the goats mouths.

 

[hooligan]

The only acorns my chickens get are the ones the squirrells throw at them from the neighbors tree.