no fruits for egg layers?

[countrybum]

Well my chickens (all of them except the babies) get all types of fruit Oranges, Cantalope, Apples, Bananas, Watermelon, pineapple, everything even tomatoes and I have never had a problem. I guess I have to check out that list. When they get it they actually seem to lay better.

 

[Deannep36]

Well nothing happened when my little roo ate some orange, he was fine after. While he was eating it some of the other chickens came up to see what he had and he ran with it. He didn't want to share lol

 

[Agape Builder]

Quote:
It is possible because citric acid contains ascetic acid which dissolves calcium. In fact, if you place a raw egg in a cup in the fridge (or not) with vinegar or lemon juice, it will dissolve the shell right off of the egg in 48 hours. You are left with a raw egg surrounded by the soft leathery inner lining of the egg that you can pick up in your hand if you are careful, but with no calcified eggshell left.

 

[Agape Builder]

Quote:
yeah it will go moldy but here again i will put that in the composter and not to the chickens and i know i am gonna get yelled at but the chickens dive right in the composter

Hmm, it's still whole. I wonder if I should cut it open and see or just toss it.

If your watermelon LOOKS good, it should still be good. When melons go bad, they usually get soft rotten spots in the outside rind like a cucumber or pepper or other vegetable.

 

[countrybum]

Give the watermelon to the chickens, it will not hurt them. I think the only time citrus hurts if it is continuously given on a daily basis. I give citrus 2 or 3 times a week and have never had an egg problem (no eggs, or eggs without a shell).

So who came up with the feed don't feed chart anyway.

Is there a website?

Is this only 1 persons opinion or experience?

Sorry, I am not depriving my chickens of things they have already been getting and very much enjoy. It is not like it is a daily feed for them. I am a true believer that the chicken will not eat something that is bad for them.

If the most citrus hurts are the egg shells, which my chickens have grit and oyster shells 24/7 and I am overloaded with eggs, so be it.

 

[paularudder]

Mine love watermelon. I raised watermelons last year & they got all the split ones & they love it. They eat melons but don't like tomatoes or pineapples.

 

[bigtooks]

Quote:
the tool bar at top of page..the one that says "member pages"..thats where you will find the list...go to most viewed..and then click treats

 

[countrybum]

Thanks for pointing me to the list. There really is not much on it as a Don't but to each their own. It states Avocado is poisonous to chickens and my get that once or twice a month. They love it.

 

[TexGardenGirl]

taken from the treats page:
"Do not count on your chickens "knowing" what is bad for them...also do not count on these "toxic" plants immediately being identifiable by finding a dead bird the next morning...usually it is a slow process damaging organs , inhibiting the ability of your bird to utilize the nutrients in their feed, etc."
I agree with this. Just look at all the drugs that have made it through all the trials and been used for years before someone discovered the dangerous side effects. (I know, drugs and food are not the same, but the point is you can take something for a long time and not see the harm being done immediately.) My position is that I'm not going to get stressed out about what they may come across while ranging in their large pen, but I'll try not to give them anything on the "no" list on purpose. (and follow the links on the list to a much more comprehensive "no" list)
What I'd really like to see someone come up with is a list of toxic things (different lists for different species) organized by how toxic they are - for example, if you look at almost any list of plants toxic to cats (which I know more about than chickens) you'll find poinsettia and lilies (among many other things) but the reality is poinsettia is not toxic, it just contains an irritant that may make them vomit - not fun for them or you, but not really dangerous - whereas a small bite of a lily, or even grooming lily pollen off their fur, can cause irreversible, often fatal, kidney failure. It would be nice to know which things to get worried about immediately, and which are less of a problem if the exposure is minimal and occasional.

Ok, as to the original question - could it be what they mean is that feeding lots of fruit to layers causes them to eat less normal food, and therefore get less protein, since fruit has almost no protein? I've even seen that you should be careful how much grain to give layers because it has less protein than feed (and grain has a lot more protein than fruit).