What if a hedge apple kills one of my chickens?!

[rehric00]

So, I am putting up my chicken run this month. Getting chicks may first (YAY!!)

Unfortunately, there are lots of hedge apple trees on my property and we cannot cut them down. One or two may hang over the chicken run. It is a pretty big run, and will have a few trees encompassed, so I cannot cover it all (not to mention, a hedge apple would just blast a whole through any covering any ways)

I am worried that one of those honkin' things might smack a chicken in the head in the fall... I am not sure there is any solution for this- but has anyone else had this problem?

 

[keesmom]

What exactly is a hedge apple?

Chickens are tuned into things trying to get them from above, so I'm not sure one would be hit by one.

 

[rehric00]

This is a hedge apple. They fall from very high up in the trees. Hit the ground very hard. I don't think a chicken would see this coming.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I'd probably fence off that area when the oranges are ripe and starting to fall. Otherwise it's a nice cover and shade tree.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I didn't know what a hedge apple was either so I just looked it up. I suppose it's possible a fruit could somehow land on a chicken, but I'd have to think the probability of that causing fatalities is pretty low?? If the trees really were dropping them frequently the chickens would probably move to an area with fewer branches overhead, if they could.

Most of us worry about predators, not falling objects, just saying.

 

[rehric00]

thats a good idea, thanks!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I certainly don't think there'd be a fatality either but good probability of injury. If the birds really like that tree cover they'd stay under it. They do my apple trees, small apples, no worries there.

 

[n3ttst3r]

If your really worried you can invest in an apple picking pole and pull as much fruit as possible before it falls on its own. Could also string up a tarp in that section of the run to catch the ones that do fall.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I am wondering if it is toxic at all. I never heard of them before and am reading that the " milky substance in the stems and fruit can irritate the skin".
Would chickens even TRY to eat them??

Fascinating tree lots for me to learn!

 

[n3ttst3r]

I am wondering if it is toxic at all. I never heard of them before and am reading that the " milky substance in the stems and fruit can irritate the skin".
Would chickens even TRY to eat them??

Fascinating tree lots for me to learn!

Not toxic and yea some of the younger birds who have never seen them always try it but it's not too long before they run off from it to something that tastes better