I know it's bad for them to eat oranges on purpose (in other words don't give them oranges as treats). DH and I are in the process of planning where our new coop is going to end up. We have a two level backyard so there is a rather steep small hill (about 6 feet difference in height) between the two levels. On the south end of the yard there are three large shade trees planted on the hill. Directly above them on the upper level are one orange and one tangerine tree. To maximize usage of our yard, DH had the idea to give the chickens the hill and under the trees as their new run with the coop up there as well. Originally, I was planning on putting meat rabbits under the trees since it's the only really shaded area in the yard. There is not enough room to have both at the top of the hill however so we changed the plan to have the coop on the bottom level with the run going up the hill. That way I can still have meat rabbits up top and the chickens can have a ball under the rabbit cages as well as under the trees.
Here's my question. How bad are oranges for them? Most of the fruit is up pretty high and we do pick them when they are ripe. However, the occasional orange will fall and land at the base of the trees. Is this too risky? Will it harm the birds if they get an orange before I have a chance to grab any fallen ones? I really like the utilization of space this idea provides but if it poses too great a risk to my girls, I will definitely change the plan.
Here's my question. How bad are oranges for them? Most of the fruit is up pretty high and we do pick them when they are ripe. However, the occasional orange will fall and land at the base of the trees. Is this too risky? Will it harm the birds if they get an orange before I have a chance to grab any fallen ones? I really like the utilization of space this idea provides but if it poses too great a risk to my girls, I will definitely change the plan.
