I have a couple of english walnut trees and each fall harvest the nuts. I shell them myself and give the nuts to family, friends and neighbors. I get about 60 lbs. of walnut meats from the two trees.
I've noticed that when the chickens are free ranging, they explore under the trees for broken nuts left by squirrels and magpies and clean up any nut meat. When I sit under the tree and collect and hull nuts, any broken ones go to the chickens as a treat. They love the nuts, so as I shell nuts, I collect small pieces and serve them with their morning mash.
Lately, egg production is way down - eight layers, total of zero to two eggs per day. These are black australorps which I understand are good winter layers as I have seen in the past. In addition, though they molted earlier in the fall, they seem to continue molting, though their feathers have grown back after the earlier molt.
Question...while I've read a number of sources that say walnuts are OK, and many that say if it's not good for them, they won't eat it, anybody here with comments on whether or not the nuts would affect egg laying, or are in any way harmful? I do understand that iot's not good to feed anything moldy, so shouldn't give them any nuts that are moldy.
Incidentally, their favorite snack is raw, shelled sunflower kernels, or when I "harvest" them from the garden, live earthworms. They get about a cupful or more for the eight every day as their mid-day snack and just go wild when they see me coming.
Thanks for any comments!
Optiker
I've noticed that when the chickens are free ranging, they explore under the trees for broken nuts left by squirrels and magpies and clean up any nut meat. When I sit under the tree and collect and hull nuts, any broken ones go to the chickens as a treat. They love the nuts, so as I shell nuts, I collect small pieces and serve them with their morning mash.
Lately, egg production is way down - eight layers, total of zero to two eggs per day. These are black australorps which I understand are good winter layers as I have seen in the past. In addition, though they molted earlier in the fall, they seem to continue molting, though their feathers have grown back after the earlier molt.
Question...while I've read a number of sources that say walnuts are OK, and many that say if it's not good for them, they won't eat it, anybody here with comments on whether or not the nuts would affect egg laying, or are in any way harmful? I do understand that iot's not good to feed anything moldy, so shouldn't give them any nuts that are moldy.
Incidentally, their favorite snack is raw, shelled sunflower kernels, or when I "harvest" them from the garden, live earthworms. They get about a cupful or more for the eight every day as their mid-day snack and just go wild when they see me coming.
Thanks for any comments!
Optiker
