The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[delisha]

Nope, but my mom told me not to eat them. ..I know it looks like I'm all worked up about this but I'm not. ... just curious.
I'm not actually talking about dying but long term health.
People worry about wormers, using Sevin or Invermectin for mites but not consuming cyanide?

we are not talking cyanide..we are talking apples seeds

You would need to fine grind up 4 oz of seeds and force feed one chicken just that powder to make them ill. You can also fine grind up 4 oz of oyster shells and force feed them that and make them ill too. Yet if you let them eat what they need it has benefits.

Apple's are a natural food and this is a natural thread.

Invermectin-Seven-Other wormers are made by humans.

Great discussion..thank you

 

[TeaChick]

We eat a minimum of half a dozen apples a day, often more b/c our teens can grab one anytime they want. We've had chickens since March; we got approx. 2-wk-old pullets. We had no idea about not feeding chickens apple seeds, and apple cores were their favorite food, so we used them as "peep treats" to get them in the coop at night (as well as leftover peanut butter sandwiches and other kitchen scraps they particularly like), additionally, we put the rest of the kitchen scraps in a compost hole in the back yard and they have free access to that. The only thing they have left there is coconut shells, pomagranate hulls, and onion. I only just learned in October that I shouldn't be allowing them to eat apple seeds (debatable, obviously), so we started cutting apple cores in half and throwing the seeds into the garbage can.

For all I know, missed apple seeds might be why my JG keeps getting sick.

For all I know, my original flock ate everything but the seeds themselves.

For all I know, my original flock ate enough of them from a young enough age that their bodies developed a tolerance to them.

I don't know, but that's my experience with apples, cores, and seeds & chickens. Just thought I'd put it out there.

 

[Scott H]

Quote:
Where did you come up with that number? And we are talking about cyanide...

 

[Leahs Mom]

Hmmm apple seeds.....

Well, I don't know what to say.

I do observe that when free-ranged or in the wild these birds would eat orchard droppings.

And I do observe that at least my birds don't want to eat what is not natural to them (take legumes, for example...I feel bad "forcing" them to eat legumes but that's another topic and the legumes are probably just as toxic to their system if not more so...).

I have observed that when I put things out that aren't natural to them that they may take a look then just walk away and it will be there weeks later without them having touched it.

 

[ki4got]

double posted...

 

[ki4got]

Quote:

Where did you come up with that number? And we are talking about cyanide...

remember... Google is your friend. "making cyanide from apple seeds"

Amygdalin is a glycoside and common in a variety of seeds and nuts. Amygdalin is found in bitter almonds and apple seeds. Amygdalin will decompose over time into benzaldehyde and prussic acid. This highly toxic compound is also known as Hydrogen Cyanide.

Hydrogen Cyanide should not be ingested by animals or humans in high quantities. Small quantities will be detoxified naturally, however, large quantities can make the subject violently ill and/or prove to be fatal.

The average apple seed has been estimated to contain 0.6 mg of Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN) per gram of seed.

 

[aaggjg]

When I cut an apple in 1/2 for the girls the first thing they all go for are the seeds. I'm assuming they've been eating them for a long time in the wild and they've survived. Mine have shown no ill affects .... My mom eats the entire apple has my entire life .... She's still kicking. Guess I better tell her she's be endangering her life all these years..... I agree with LM,I worry more about the ill effects of feeding them things they wouldn't eat in the wild. Yeah I'll continue will the entire apples.

 

[Scott H]

Hmmm apple seeds.....

Well, I don't know what to say.

I do observe that when free-ranged or in the wild these birds would eat orchard droppings.

And I do observe that at least my birds don't want to eat what is not natural to them (take legumes, for example...I feel bad "forcing" them to eat legumes but that's another topic and the legumes are probably just as toxic to their system if not more so...).

I have observed that when I put things out that aren't natural to them that they may take a look then just walk away and it will be there weeks later without them having touched it.

I've got a hen who likes kidney beans.

 

[lalaland]

Delisha, You read my mind. Its above zero so I kicked the flock out yesterday and moved water and feed outside. Cleaned out most of the frozen poopsickles. Enough to fill up a cooler! had to be contributing to the cold temp inside the coop.

When I was shooing the hens out, Booster defended one of his hens by attacking me - I tell you there isn't much room to move in the coop so that was interesting. I ended up holding him by the feet upside down and then carried him around for awhile. Poor baby's comb is blistering.

On another thread, someone detailed weeks of care for a rooster with a similiarly frozen comb and wattles. Wattles so swollen the roo stopped eating. Hand feeding. Antibiotic treatment since that rooster's comb was smelly. Debriding the wound, etc. Has anyone had a rooster with badly frostbitten comb and wattles ? I was thinking it would turn black on its own and fall off.

Kigot I can't afford the shavings although if hay keeps going up it'll be cheaper. But they also eat the hay and sort of forage in it. Delish maybe I should try pdz but does it work in subzero

And I am done, done, done with snow.

 

[armorfirelady]

Lala I would think it would blacken and fall off on its own. Maybe the other person had something else wrong with the comb or an underlying problem?

I thought of up you while on the cruise.......lots of MN people on the cruise. Seems they didn't want to be cold any longer either.

Tomorrow we head home to almost 4 ft of snow.

As for the hay I found last year it seemed to hold moisture more so than the shavings did. But my girls do like the hay. I may get a small bale to stuff their nesting boxes with when I get home. I am sure I have Poopsicles as well. Our temps didn't get below zero but were barely out of the single digits. To bad I couldn't bring the Florida temps home