Bananas killing chickens?

[Cuban Longtails]

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Wow, I did not know stuff like that happened.

 

[sangel4you]

POtassium imbalance is VERY important in humans and yes, even more so in those with renal failure. However, unless ur taking a potassium supplement AND eating 4 bananas a day or something excessive like that, you dont need to worry about it as a human. (unless u have renal failure in which case I sure hope your doctors would have told you about it!) A normal healthy person can eat a couple of bananas a day and have no effect. At the same time, not having ENOUGH potassium can also be deterimental to your heart so dont be scared to eat your bananas and give them to your kids! Just dont overdo it! As far as with the chickens...idk. Its a possible theory, however I have to agree, I don't think it would be in their system yet if they died WHILE eating them.

 

[speckledhen]

I have given my birds pieces of banana almost every time we have them. Naturally, if you loaded them up with lots of bananas, I'd say maybe that would have an adverse effect, but if the roosters died while eating bananas, they didnt die from the potassium in the bananas, but could have choked. JMHO.

 

[DiVon80]

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I agree with you on this one. I wonder if they choked or something!

 

[kryptoniteqhs]

I had no idea about any of these potassium problems. I had a deficiency when I was last in the hospital so they gave me a supplement and a banana and I was fine. Didnt know that was RISKING anything! WHEW! interesting stuff!

 

[Blue_Myst]

But if they died WHILE eating the bananas, the potassium wouldn't have gotten into their system yet. It would be sitting in their crop still.

I give mine bananas all the time.

That's a good point.

Bananas are rather dense, so if they ate them too fast it could very well cause choking, or maybe even temporarily block up the crop if they ate too much too quickly.​

 

[Eggsactly]

That's a crazy story. I don't know what to think. I feed my hens bananas all the time as well as toss the peels out on the heap and they pick at them as well. If a body is functioning correctly it monitors and rids itself of excess electrolytes such as potassium. I am a retired dialysis nurse. The point that the potassium wouldn't have immediately gotten into the blood stream upon swallowing is a valid one. There would be at least some amount of lag time even if his body, namely his kidneys, wasn't functioning properly to maintain homeostasis (proper electrolyte balance). I would be more concerned that perhaps there was some sort of contamination such as pesticide poison in the banana.

 

[ruth]

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That's a good point also.

In both cases I heard about the roosters died shortly after eating the bananas. Both people said they did not think they choked because they were standing right there and watching and the roo just "dropped dead". I have no idea how many/much banana the roos ate.

Actually, in Geebs's case, the roo ate the banana, tried to mate a hen (was unsuccessful) and then dropped dead. My DH, always the one to add humor to a sad story, said "well if all the 4-H group was watching, maybe he died of embarrassment."

She said he was 6 months old and just starting to do is "roo thing". She is devastated. He was to go to show in a couple of weeks and had been raised and groomed for that event.

Just thought I would post as a possible warning. If potassium overload can kill a 150+ pound human, I'm sure it could kill a 10 pound chicken.

If Cyn had a roo that dropped dead immediately upon applying benzocain to comb I think they must have mighty fast metabolism and processing mechanisms.

 

[Chicken Fruit]

I've given my chickens parts of banana's before without issue... I have been for a really long time. I think it would have to be daily, or a whole freaking banana for one chicken to kill it.

But thats a good heads up. I dont want my biddies dropping out on me.

 

[geebs]

Might have been the embarassement..... Hadn't thought of that!!!!!!!!