No fruit? Will this stop the chickens from laying?

[firsthouse_mp]

I just got a catalogue from a chiken hatchery and one of the things they state in there is to NOT feed your chickens fruit, that it will stop them from laying? Is this true??? I have never heard this. I feed my hens the cores from apples, the tops from strawberries, bananas (but they don't love these). Is this why their laying has been very lean this Winter????

I dear if this is why, I am vexed. I can't believe I have never read this before! I usually feed them fruit scraps along with a bunch of other stuff. Today they got apple cores, sprouted lentils, yogurt and warm oats as their treat.......thi is a typical daily treat. Have I been doing it wrong all this time????

 

[AkTomboy]

Others will give you more information but I give mine fruit min 3 times a week, and I am getting 18-23 eggs a day.

 

[NonnasBabies]

I've never read this. Most time the problems that people have with the slow down in egg production this time of year is not enough daylight hours. You can try adding some artifical light on them and see if it helps!!

Here's a treat chart that has some great info on it!! https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart

 

[tammyd57]

Old wives' tale.

If their diet is very high in fruit it might cause slow down in laying, but that's true of ANY food. Too much of anything is bad for them just like it's bad for us. A few servings of fruit a day is good for chickens. Having a bucket of fruit and nothing, or very little, else is not good.
It sounds like you give a reasonable amount of fruit. It shouldn't have negative effects.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

No, it's not true. I'm sorry that you were confused by that one particular hatchery. They've been contacted before and said they had no other information, they just think this. I've never been able to find any corroborating scientific information anywhere. As far as empirical evidence, millions of chickens have eaten fruit and continued to lay eggs.

Shorter days in winter are the main cause of reduced laying in winter. Pullets are not as effected by this in their first winter laying. You can add supplemental lighting or just wait until the days get longer in the spring and laying resumes.

Sometimes, very extreme cold can also slow laying down a bit. Other causes in different parts of the year are extreme heat, going broody or molting. Diet and water consumption also play a role. It takes a certain amount of particular nutrients and water, in excess of what a chicken needs to maintain it's self, to create an egg.

It sounds like you've been taking great care of your chickens.

 

[PepsNick]

What? That's nonsense. Fruit is very nutritious for chickens and they love it. Berries, melons, even peels- you name it, they love it. Mine get fruit around 3-4 times a week and lay large eggs everyday. What hatchery told you this? I think you're doing very well and extra light does work great. I have read that chickens don't lay at night but that is certainly not the case for mine. Not all breeds are as hardy as others.

 

[EweSheep]

I know one particular hatchey says that and they really don't have anything else to back it up LOL!

For thousands of years, chickens ate seeds and fruits......so it is not a problem !

 

[RIBill]

I could see this having a potential effect. Fruits are mainly water and sugar. It theoretically could have an effect. That said, they would have to eat A LOT of fruit. This past fall, mine got windfall apples, pears, grapes, and berries daily and never had problems.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

So long as you're not trying to feed them ONLY fruit it's basically good for them.

Give them free choice access to a good balanced ration then let them have all the fruit they want. They'll take care of the rest.

 

[Tdub4chiks]

I read somewhere that citrus fruits are bad for chickens, like oranges, lemons, etc. Is this true?