Pine needles

[Junejones]

I have a question.... Im looking into moving into the country (right now live in the city) and of course bring my chickens but the property has lots of pine trees.... Would it be ok to put my chicken under a pine tree without them eating the pine needs or can they eat pine needles??

 

[aart]

What kind of pine......with short sharp needles or long soft ones?
They probably would not eat either kind, but the sap could be an issue sticking to their feet and getting on the coop, etc.

Just my thoughts.
Hopefully someone comes along and gives you first hand experience

 

[Lexicon]

I have a question.... Im looking into moving into the country (right now live in the city) and of course bring my chickens but the property has lots of pine trees.... Would it be ok to put my chicken under a pine tree without them eating the pine needs or can they eat pine needles??

I have used dry pine needles as part of the bedding mix in my coop and have never witnessed my hens eating them. In general, I think that chickens are quite smart about what not to eat... except when it comes to Styrofoam!

 

[chickmamato7]

My chickens love to eat pine needles. I put some pine branches in the coop for my Silkie bantams to hide under when they were first integrating to the flock, and my girls ate the needles right up. Now whenever a pine branch falls, I just throw it in the coop. My girls eat pine needles all the time and they're still thriving, so I figure they must be okay.

 

[Lexicon]

My chickens love to eat pine needles. I put some pine branches in the coop for my Silkie bantams to hide under when they were first integrating to the flock, and my girls ate the needles right up. Now whenever a pine branch falls, I just throw it in the coop. My girls eat pine needles all the time and they're still thriving, so I figure they must be okay.

Interesting, I wonder if the difference is green pine needles vs the brown dry ones that have fallen from the tree? My hens do love to eat the new spruce tips on the miniature spruce trees that they can reach. I really doubt those tiny little "trees" are going to get much bigger with the chickens helping.

 

[EEforMe]

We live where there are pine needles and it’s never been a problem

 

[RoyalChick]

I use white pine straw (dried needles) as bedding along with leaves. Never had an issue.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you? Climate matters so if you put your general location into your profile people can give you better-targeted advice.

I'm in the US southeast where we have longleaf and loblolly pines. Pine straw -- their dried needles -- are a major component of my bedding. They don't eat it, they scratch through it looking for goodies.

 

[Junejones]

What kind of pine......with short sharp needles or long soft ones?
They probably would not eat either kind, but the sap could be an issue sticking to their feet and getting on the coop, etc.

Just my thoughts.
Hopefully someone comes along and gives you first hand experience

Idk what kind sorry i dont know much about trees

 

[Junejones]

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you? Climate matters so if you put your general location into your profile people can give you better-targeted advice.

I'm in the US southeast where we have longleaf and loblolly pines. Pine straw -- their dried needles -- are a major component of my bedding. They don't eat it, they scratch through it looking for goodies.

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Im in north of Pennsylvania