Are apples okay for chickens?

[pongoid]

I looked up puff balls and stinkhorns, it seems they are not poisonous.

 

[LeezyBeezy]

We have an apple orchard, full of old, but covered in apples, trees. Many of them are dropping little apples- and my girls could care less!!

I have chopped up apples for them, esp. on hot days, and they don't really like them. Bummer. I'll have about a zillion apples in the late summer- we have about 15 trees. Figures.

 

[Beekissed]

I too have an orchard of 15 trees and the chickens eat their fill of apples as often as they can snatch them from the dogs and sheep...which is pretty often, as these are huge and proliferant trees. They've never had the runs, nor did they slow on laying, nor have any sickened and died. Had the same flock free ranging under these trees for four years now and no problems with symptoms of arsenic poisoning or death.

They say the same thing about sheep and eating green apples....pshaw! Or letting them eat tomato plants...again...pshaw! My sheep gobbled down 120 tomato plants last fall without even a burp! They are currently hoovering my orchard for any and all green apple drops.

THEY seem to have a long list of no-nos but I've never seen anyone's livestock or chickens die from eating these things.

I think, if a chicken has a set diet and you introduce apples as a treat, it could very well upset their digestion and their egg laying performance...as would anything that caused diarrhea and the resulting dehydration/electrolyte loss.

It may even by the fact that apples drop in the fall and so do the feathers....as in moulting...as in a natural decline in laying during those months.

Actually, I haven't seen anything that a chicken eats kill it....they can consume the same things pigs can and get away with it.

 

[they'reHISchickens]

I say let the chickens eat the fallen apples especially those bug -infested culls under the tree! Not only does the chicken get a treat, the bugs are added protein and don't get a chance to multiply for next year. Organic Bug Control!

 

[eggboy]

I just fed my chickens some apple peelings and cores for the first time today if any die i'll be sure to tell you.

 

[woodmort]

Quote:
Puff balls are great eating, slice them and fry them. Gotta get them early though.
As far as apples, my chickens were chase them all around tonight--they started pecking at them and the apple would roll down the hill. Was a riot to watch.

 

[mychookschick]

Quote:
Hehehe.... You won't believe this but, when I gave my chickens some slightly old apples and they DID get drunk!LOL They wre falling off from the perch!

 

[tnmamaw01]

I am new to having chickens and I am currently putting up 2 bushels of apples. Would feeding the cores with seeds harm the chickens? I was thinking that I may freeze the cores in smaller batches and pull them out in the winter and give them to them. Does anyone think this is a good idea or not? I would love any input on this that I could get. I guess I am wondering...how much may be too much? Thanks all!

 

[Queen of the chickens]

I am pretty sure that it's a naturally occurring arsenic that is in the seed. (Which is what is causing all the Dr. Oz ruckus over apple juice.) I used to worry about that with feeding my rabbits apple cores, but there are only a few seeds per apple and it would take so many to cause harm, that I don't think it's a huge concern.

 

[nurse_turtle]

Bored chickens on a rainy day? Apple on a rope! Charge admission and let the show begin!