Are spruce pine needles bad for chickens?

[cluckmecoop7]

Hi all,

I made this little fort thingy for my flock of six chickens. (15 weeks.) They like it, but they also peck it a lot. I'm not sure if they are eating the pine needles. Is this ok? Thanks!

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Anyone?

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Please? ASAP!

 

[cluckmecoop7]

What if my chickens die? I need to know! Usually I get answers right away!

 

[BarnyardCross]

It honestly should be fine. If chickens had extreme allergic reactions to pine needles then it would probably be common knowledge.

 

[BarnyardCross]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/can-my-hens-have-pine-needles.546928/

Before creating a post, I recommend googling for an answer.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Sorry, "I don't know" was not an option. Do chickens typically eat things that are not good for them? We used to throw all our kitchen waste out for the chickens but over time noticed that there was stuff they did not eat. So now we have two bowls for kitchen scraps, one for the hens and one for what we call the "go-away" trash. It goes in the freezer till trash day so it doesn't lure raccoons and opossums. They won't eat potato peels, for example. So my guess is, if your chickens are eating pine needles it probably won't hurt them. But I could be wrong.

 

[pibb]

I would say the tree sap that gets on their feathers, if any, will be worser than them eating them.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Thx.