Fermented Apples?

[GamRich]

I make fresh Apple Cider Vinegar regularly and after straining there are a lot of apples to dispose of or compost. I was wondering if these fermented apples would be harmful to our girls (not now, because they are too young (almost 3 weeks). What are your thoughts on this type of snack?

 

[Shadrach]

I make fresh Apple Cider Vinegar regularly and after straining there are a lot of apples to dispose of or compost. I was wondering if these fermented apples would be harmful to our girls (not now, because they are too young (almost 3 weeks). What are your thoughts on this type of snack?

I think they are too young to be drinking Cider.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cider

 

[GamRich]

I think they are too young to be drinking Cider.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cider

Definitely too young now, but after they are 16 weeks maybe?

 

[neo71665]

I wouldn't give it to grown birds.

 

[saysfaa]

What are your concerns about it?
Would you eat them? Why or why not?

I had to look up how to make apple cider vinegar at home. I didn't realize how easy it is; I will try it. Anyway, several sites say to the apples aren't suitable to eat afterwards but they don't say why. When we make apple cider, the left over apple pulp isn't suitable to eat because it is too dry and tasteless. But it is not dangerous when it is fresh. It does rot fairly quickly because of the tiny pieces and residual moisture.

 

[Ridgerunner]

What are your thoughts on this type of snack?

I agree, what is your concern? I find it a lot easier to answer this type of question if I know why you are asking. You can get all kinds of reasons on here about why you should not do something. Some are just bogus, some we can discuss.

My general thoughts on this type of snack (or basically any snack) is that if it is given in moderation there are no issues. You generally don't want to feed it in excess.

@Shadrach they said the chicks are too young now. What would be your suggestion for age that they are ready for a daily toddy? Not in excess of course.

 

[GamRich]

What are your concerns about it?
Would you eat them? Why or why not?

I had to look up how to make apple cider vinegar at home. I didn't realize how easy it is; I will try it. Anyway, several sites say to the apples aren't suitable to eat afterwards but they don't say why. When we make apple cider, the left over apple pulp isn't suitable to eat because it is too dry and tasteless. But it is not dangerous when it is fresh. It does rot fairly quickly because of the tiny pieces and residual moisture.

Thanks, I’ll just throw it in the compost. I’m so new to chicken care, I just don’t want to harm them. I’m not giving treats for several more weeks anyway. Still working on their coop and runs.

 

[Shadrach]

I agree, what is your concern? I find it a lot easier to answer this type of question if I know why you are asking. You can get all kinds of reasons on here about why you should not do something. Some are just bogus, some we can discuss.

My general thoughts on this type of snack (or basically any snack) is that if it is given in moderation there are no issues. You generally don't want to feed it in excess.

@Shadrach they said the chicks are too young now. What would be your suggestion for age that they are ready for a daily toddy? Not in excess of course.

I'm tea total so probably not the best person to ask.
Where I live the legal age for drinking alcohol is eighteen so I guess when they reach that age.

 

[saysfaa]

Not trying to change your mind. Just fyi for whoever is interested.
There isn't much alcohol in hard cider which is straight apple
squeezings pumace - 5% or so. You have to concentrate it to get apple jack. Apple cider doesn't have the water added to the apple pieces like acv recipes say to use which should dilute it even further. I don't think you need to worry about getting the chickens drunk.

Edit to add: Oh. I read the link above; it seems cider means different things in different places. That's a familiar term. We don't add water to ours and my family drinks it before it turns hard but there are lots of stories floating around the neighborhood about what can be done with it - after it isn't cider anymore by our definition.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

In theory, the fermentation process has already used up a lot of what makes the apple valuable as a nutrition source, leaving moisture (which they can get anywhere), cell walls/fiber (which is not as beneficial to chickens as it us to us - and something a free range chicken can readily obtain on its own), residual beneficial bacteria (acetobacillus primarily in making vinegar), and trace minerals/vitamins the acetoB didn't convert into acetic acid or dissolve into the now more acidic environment.

Its also a ready source for continued colonization by anything present in the environment which can either outcompete the acetoB (not much - part of why acetic acid fermentation has been used by human cvilizations to preserve food stuffs for at least 30 centuries), and the things that move in once the acetoB runs out of things to convert and can no longer support its colony size and growth. Aided by residual moisture.

If it were me, and I was trying not to be wasteful, i'd do one of two things:

A) lay the spent pulp out on sheet trays oir similar, bake dry, then serve it up as treats on the mulch/compost pile. If the chickens eat it, great. If not, its compost. A lot of studies show chickens dislike heavily acidic foods, so I would not expect it to be popular.

B) As an alternative to the bake dry and serve, you could also use it (since its chock full of beneficial bacteria) as the starter for fermented mash feeding. I'm not a huge fan of FF - the benefits don't outweigh the time labor investment for me - but its less time/labor then baking and storing. Since invention is primarily the province of the lazy, seeking a better way, this would be where I would start.

/edit forgot to add - Feedipedia.org on apple pomace - be sure to read the nutritional aspects first. The tables show its not high value, but the aspects gives a broad overview of what to be on the look out for as potential problems and limitiations.