Oso berry

[Yelllouise]

Does anyone know if ducks and chickens can eat Osoberry? It's a native berry to the PNW.

 

[Debbie292d]

They can but the pit, if they ate those, contains a low amount of a version of cyanide. I doubt they'd eat the pits but I'd watch them for a bit to make sure. A couple probably wouldn't do any harm, much like apple seeds also contain a small amt of it, but if they ate a quantity, it could make them ill.

 

[Yelllouise]

They can but the pit, if they ate those, contains a low amount of a version of cyanide. I doubt they'd eat the pits but I'd watch them for a bit to make sure. A couple probably wouldn't do any harm, much like apple seeds also contain a small amt of it, but if they ate a quantity, it could make them ill. They can but the pit, if they ate those, contains a low amount of a version of cyanide. I doubt they'd eat the pits but I'd watch them for a bit to make sure. A couple probably wouldn't do any harm, much like apple seeds also contain a small amt of it, but if they ate a quantity, it could make them ill. Thank you

 

[Yelllouise]

Thank you so much

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm not familiar with osoberries. From what I read they are relatively small, maybe 1/2" long.

Like many fruit seeds such as apple, plum, and peach, the seed can contain cyanide. It's enough to kill an insect small enough to bore into the seed but not enough injure a larger animal unless they ate and digested a lot of them.

I don't know how many osoberry seeds are a lot but I've had chickens with a plum pit in their gizzard when I butchered them. Plum pits have cyanide in them. I've seen that a few times so they can obviously eat them without issues. Apple seeds have cyanide in them. I've seen chickens eat those without a problem.

Personally I would not worry about it if all they get is what they collect naturally from the tree. I would not gather them and feed them a lot at one time.

 

[Yelllouise]

Thank you. We are trying to make our own feed for feeding them over winter and we're wondering if we could dry them and add them to the feed but maybe I'll just let them eat what they naturally forage.