Feeding Ash Keys and maple "helicopters"

[MrChicken207]

I was just wondering if someone who has a large maple and/or ash tree (or multiple) who produce alot of seeds could actually feed that seed to their chickens and turkeys? I know turkeys will eat acorns. These seeds are much smaller. I also know that Ash keys can be eaten by humans (they taste a bit like hazel nuts).

 

[lleighmay]

I don't know about ash keys but my chicken run is situated under a large maple tree. They didn't seem particularly interested in the seeds this spring so I don't know if less picky birds would/could eat them or not. I don't think they're poisonous but maybe my chickens know more about that than I do.

 

[Imp]

How interesting. I never knew that the seedpods were called keys.

I did a little googling and it appears that both maple and ash keys are non toxic and edible.
I agree with lleighmay I have lots of maple around here and my chickens won't eat them. Maybe if they were shelled, but that seems like way too much work to me.

The Ash trees around here don't have keys. They produce clusters of red berries.
I've never seen the birds here eat them. The neighbor's 2 year old did. That tree was cut down the next day. He was and is OK. When I was a kid the birds did eat the berries on the mountain ash.

Imp- You'll have to let us know if your chickens will eat them.

 

[swordgeek]

For some reason, we had a bumper crop of tiny maple seeds (I *think* they were maple - we don't have ash) last fall. The seeds were oily enough to stain the driveway when crushed underfoot. When my birds were free-ranging around the yard, they went NUTS for those things! They pecked the meaty parts right off, and left the wings behind. I'm hoping we get the seeds again next fall, because we have more chickens this year.

 

[jomercer]

Maple "copters" are botanically called samaras (rhymes with "cameras"). Rodents like them. It will be interesting to see whether my girls enjoy the red maple samaras next spring.

 

[whenchickensdream]

Glad someone else called them copters - I was very confused. lol