What is with fruit and layers?????

[BAYAREABIRDER]

Hi all,


Why cant u feed fruit to ur laying birds. My pullets are about three months and 3 weeks. Can I still feed them fruit?????

 

[JenEric Farms]

I've never heard that...interested in what others say...

 

[ArizonaNessa]

I feed all my birds, not just layers, grapes, bananas, watermelon, cantalope (sp?) and all kinds of other fruits and veggies. Why would you think you could not feed them fruit?

Edit: the only things I don't give are raw onion (they won't eat it and I heard it was not good for them) and avocado ( because they can't eat the skin or seed and if I pay that much for one I am eating it) and I don't give anything with chocolate or cocoa (because you should not give that to any animal)

 

[Crystalchic]

i read that certain fruits in large quantities will affect the taste of the eggs
when i have chickens shipped to me there is always water melon in the crate

 

[ArizonaNessa]

I read somewhere that too much flax seed will make the eggs taste fishy but I don't know if that is true. Also in the treat list here on BYC it says you should not give citrus but I don't know why not. I know alot of people around here have their coops out by orange trees and they don't have issues that I know of.

 

[JenEric Farms]

Quote:
I just read the treats list and saw citrus listed on the No section, so i looked it up online and their is nothing listed as negative. I even read that citrus peal is put in certain chicken feeds... Must be an old wives tale...

 

[Redsquirrel]

I feed mine fruit-they love apples the best. The eggs taste great!

 

[CedarRidgeChicks]

Several years ago after making apple sauce, which would have been in the fall, we fed our laying hens the pulp and their egg laying dropped from 20 a day to 3-4 for several weeks..this was probably excessive amount..BTW..we gave some to the milk cow and her production went down by 1/2..so..???

 

[ArizonaNessa]

Quote:
I just read the treats list and saw citrus listed on the No section, so i looked it up online and their is nothing listed as negative. I even read that citrus peal is put in certain chicken feeds... Must be an old wives tale...

Thanks for checking into that. I always wondered why too.
Maybe it has something to do with high vitamin C. I guess too much of anything would not be good. In my opinion, chickens should have a good variety in their diet. I guess if all you fed them was oranges and grapefruit they might not do so well.

 

[JenEric Farms]

Agreed, everything in moderation ( except toxic food of course

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