Help with Avocado!!

[UrbanFarmerGirl]

Imp- so is the persin in the actual fruit damaging to the hearts of people who eat it? or is the seed where most of this is concentrated- similar to arsenic in apple seeds? They now sell that luxury dog and cat food called avoderm, which is avocado based. They only use the fruit in that dog food, not the seed or skin. I am sure everyone would rather be safe than sorry, I have just fed SO much avocado to young pullets I am curious about any possible damage this potentially could have caused. Does anyone know of a veterinary source or paper about this?

 

[galanie]

People give their chickens lots of things that are supposed to be harmful and don't see ill effects. I'd err on the side of caution though. Another example is garlic and onion. They can eat those also without ill effect but given enough, it would damage their kidneys. Chickens are much larger than your normal parakeet so can handle things due to their size that other birds really can't.

This is a great article with references though it will attempt a popup window when you open it: http://kgkat.tripod.com/avocado.html

 

[Imp]

Quote:
I am not a scientist, so I cannot answer your question. My understanding (mostly from having parrots years ago) is that that the fruit contains persin. I had never thought about eating the pit. And that the smaller the animal is the is the more dangerous it was. Just like galanie said. There is a lot of info if you google it. Either it is true or it's one of the biggest old wives tales around.

Imp

 

[southerndesert]

Quote:
Wait a minute here....

Many plants or plant parts that are toxic to chickens (birds) do not kill after one bite or meal, but build up in their systems until the bird becomes ill or dies. Normally birds and chickens will learn before disaster that they shouldn't eat something, but this isn't always the case when fed by their owner...

The list of toxic plants was not made buy guessing, but by scientific study and I would pay heed. You can find this info online quite easily.... Here is an example:

ARUM LILY
AMARYLLIS
ARALIA
ARROWHEAD VINE
AUTUMN CROCUS
AUSTRALIAN FLAMETREE
AUSTRALIAN UMBRELLA TREE
AVOCADO
AZALEA
BANEBERRY
BEANS: (CASTOR, HORSE, FAVA, BROAD, GLORY, SCARLET RUNNER, MESCAL, NAVY, PREGATORY)
BIRD OF PARADISE
BISHOP’S WEED
BLACK LAUREL
BLACK LOCUST
BLEEDING HEART OR DUTCHMAN’S BREECHES
BLOODROOT
BLUEBONNET
BLUEGREEN ALGAE
BOXWOOD
BRACKEN FERN
BUCKTHORN
BULB FLOWERS: (AMARYLLIS, DAFFODIL, NARCISSUS, HYACINTH & IRIS)
BURDOCK
BUTTERCUP
CACAO
CAMEL BUSH
CASTOR BEAN
CALADIUM
CANA LILY
CARDINAL FLOWER
CHALICE (TRUMPET VINE)
CHERRY TREE
CHINA BERRY TREE
CHRISTMAS CANDLE
CLEMATIS (VIRGINIA BOWER)
CLIVIA
COCKLEBUR
COFFEE (SENNA)
COFFEE BEAN (RATTLEBUSH, RATTLE BOX & COFFEEWEED)
CORAL PLANT
CORIANDER
CORNCOCKLE
COYOTILLO
COWSLIP
CUTLEAF PHILODENDRON
DAFFODIL
DAPHNE
DATURA STRAMONIUM (ANGEL’S TRUMPET)
DEATH CAMUS
DELPHINIUM
DEVIL’S IVY
DIEFFENBACHIA (DUMB CANE)
ELDERBERRY
ELEPHANT EAR (TARO)
ENGLISH IVY
ERGOT
EUCALYPTUS (DRIED, DYED OR TREATED IN FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS)
EUONYMUS (SPINDLE TREE)
EUPHORBIA CACTUS
FALSE HELLEBORE
FLAME TREE
FELT PLANT (MATERNITY, AIR & PANDA PLANTS)
FIG (WEEPING)
FIRE THORN
FLAMINGO FLOWER
FOUR O’CLOCK
FOXGLOVE
GLOTTIDIUM
GOLDEN CHAIN
GRASS: (JOHNSON, SORGHUM, SUDAN & BROOM CORN)
GROUND CHERRY
HEATHS: (KALMIA, LEUCOTHO, PEIRES, RHODODENDRON, MTN. LAUREL, BLACK LAUREL, ANDROMEDA & AZALEA)
HELIOTROPE
HEMLOCK: (POISON & WATER)
HENBANE
HOLLY
HONEYSUCKLE
HORSE CHESTNUT
HORSE TAIL
HOYA
HYACINTH
HYDRANGEA
IRIS
IVY: (ENGLISH & OTHERS)
JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT
JASMINE (JESSAMINE)
JERUSALEM CHERRY
JIMSONWEED
JUNIPER
KY. COFFEE TREE
LANTANA (RED SAGE)
LARKSPUR
LILY OF THE VALLEY
LILY, ARUM
LOBELIA
LOCOWEED (MILK VETCH)
LOCUSTS, BLACK / HONEY
LORDS & LADIES (CUCKOOPINT)
LUPINE
MALANGA
MARIJUANA (HEMP)
MAYAPPLE (MANDRAKE)
MEXICAN BREADFRUIT
MEXICAN POPPY
MILKWEED, COTTON BUSH
MISTLETOE
MOCK ORANGE
MONKSHOOD
MOONSEED
MORNING GLORY
MTN. LAUREL
MUSHROOMS, AMANITA
MYRTLE
NARCISSUS
NETTLES
NIGHTSHADES: (DEADLY, BLACK, GARDEN, WOODY, BITTERSWEET, EGGPLANT, JERUSALEM CHERRY)
OAK
OLEANDER
OXALIS
PARSLEY
PEACE LILY
PERIWINKLE
PHILODENDRONS: (SPLIT LEAF, SWISS CHEESE, HEART-LEAF)
PIGWEED
POINCIANA
POINSETTIA
POISON IVY
POISON HEMLOCK
POISON OAK: (WESTERN & EASTERN)
POKEWEED
POTATO SHOOTS
POTHOS
PRIVET
PYRACANTHA
RAIN TREE
RANUNCULUS, BUTTERCUP
RAPE
RATTLEBOX, CROTALARIA
RED MAPLE
RED SAGE (LANTANA)
RHUBARB LEAVES
RHODODENDRONS
ROSARY PEA SEEDS
SAND BOX TREE
SKUNK CABBAGE
SORREL (DOCK)
SNOW DROP
SPURGES: (PENCIL TREE, SNOW-ON-MTN, CANDELABRA, CROWN OF THORNS)
STAR OF BETHLEHEM
SWEET PEA
SWISS CHEESE PLANT (MONSTERA)
TANSY RAGWORT
TOBACCO
UMBRELLA PLANT
VETCH: HAIRY/COMMON
VIRGINIA CREEPER
WATTLE
WEEPING FIG
WHITE CEDAR, CHINA BERRY
WISTERIA
YEWS
YELLOW JASMINE

 

[southerndesert]

Quote:
The poison found in Apple seeds, plumb, peach, and many others is cyanide.... Here is some more info: http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/apples.aspCyanide in Fruit Seeds

 

[UrbanFarmerGirl]

Cyanide- thank you. And thank you for the list too. Is that list of plants with toxic parts bird specific, or for most animals in general? I have just heard such mixed information about avocado. I had never heard of avocado being toxic to birds before, but I have heard of it being bad for dogs- when the avoderm food products came out I asked some of the Veterinarians who teach on campus, and they said the fruit was not the toxic aspect, just the seed and skin. I'm sure individual tolerance and breed background play a part in how well or poorly an individual reacts to it as well. I guess thank goodness my chickens are ok after eating so much of it.

 

[Nambroth]

Avocado can be fatal for birds. It is a known toxin for psittacines at least, and MIGHT be for chickens. Each bird can react differently, and effects are not always immediate.

Avocado-- especially the pit and skin-- can contain a toxin that is harmful to many animals, but birds in particular can be very susceptible. The body generally reacts as if in severe allergic reaction... sometimes birds will have no reaction, and other times they will go into a reaction nearly immediately. I have a friend who sadly lost their cockatiel to a single nibble of guacamole!!
The skin and pit generally contain the highest concentrations of the toxins, though.

"Avocado leaves, fruit, seeds and bark all contain the toxic principle known as persin,” says Dana Farbman, CVT, Senior Manager of Professional Communications at APCC. Guatemalan varieties—sold in grocery stores nationwide—are most often involved in pet exposures, Farbman adds, while other strains have varying degrees of toxic potential. Birds—who accounted for 5 percent of avocado cases in 2008—appear to be particularly sensitive to the fatty fruit; consumption can result in respiratory distress, congestion, fluid accumulation around the heart and even death.

Source: http://petsmedicalandhealth.wordpress.com/2011/02/13/avacodo/


So in short: Many chickens have eaten avocado and lived to cluck about it. I have not had enough experience with chickens to say that I know anyone that has had a chicken die from eating avocado. I have known several confirmed (necropsy results) deaths in parrots from avocado consumption. It is entirely possible that chickens larger size (many times the weight of all but the largest parrots) and slightly different psychology allows them to process avocado with little or not effect, but in this case I am the type to not tempt fate and therefore do not offer it to my chickens.​

 

[UrbanFarmerGirl]

Yikes- I agree. I guess I'm lucky! No more guac for the hens I guess. Thanks for the additional info. Amazing how different cats, dogs, birds, humans, and other animals can be with regards to what we can eat and what harms us.

 

[City Chicken Lady]

Quote:
This is good information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persin

 

[City Chicken Lady]

Quote:
Until reading about avocado today I didn't know what was causing my Pekingese to have bloody diarrhea. I guess it would be a good idea not to give any part of the avocado to any animal or bird.