Can chickens have cherries?

[dangerouschicken]

Yeah, when it comes to windfall fruit, you can't stop the hungry beast within a sweet little chicken

 

[MsBentleyboy]

that's good news. I have a cherry tree but the japenese beetles got first bids on it this year. RIP tree (maybe it will come back though)

 

[gritsar]

I should add that the article wasn't specific. It could be that cherry pits are like apple seeds; toxic even to humans; but you'd have to chew them or eats tons of them for them to really do you any harm. I also didn't see cherries listed on the buff's treat chart, so between the article and the treat chart I decided to pit them.

 

[mtnhomechick]

Orscheln's sells a grit that is made of crushed cherry pits.

 

[ashyannehand]

I have never given my chickens cherries. They are around $4 a pound here. I am jealous that someone has a cherry tree. I love them!

 

[mtnhomechick]

I just bought a bag yesterday for over $8.

 

[bulldog-girl]

Thanks for all your info. Ya, the cherry tree is nice. Needs trimming badly so most of the cherries are like 40 feet up

I need to prune all our trees this winter in hopes of a better fruit harvest next summer.

Thanks again. Now I am not so worried. Now I just have to get a hold of the lady I am getting the chickens from. I was supposed to pick them up today, and can't get her on the phone. We are really egg-cited!!!

 

[SproutGirl]

I spit the pits out on the ground and my birds don't touch them. They do try to steal the cherries, though! Little thieves!

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
I do believe they're more like muggers than just thieves. I got a push-up (you know the orange sherbert things that you push up with stick in the bottom?) and decided to sit outside and eat it while I watched the chickens. Big mistake. They wanted it and they were determined to have it. I ran back on the screened porch with it to eat in peace.

 

[JennsPeeps]

Quote:
Someone else recently talked about that kind of grit. I believe it's actually granite rather than cherry pits.

My girls love cherries. I agree that chickens are more like muggers than thieves. Try to eat or open a box of anything (recently it was staples) in peace. Good luck.