What is with fruit and layers?????

[ArizonaNessa]

Okay I might be fixing to show some ignorance here but I am going to say it anyway. Don't apple seeds and peach seeds have trace amounts of arsenic or cyanide or something in them? I remember hearing something like that somewhere. If it was in the fall maybe it was just time for their slow part of the year. Heck I don't know its just a thought and maybe your right, maybe there is something to it.

 

[ChickyLaura]

Oh great, I read this AFTER I just gave them their first orange !!!

They seem to really enjoy it though, I thought it would be OK! Guess I won't do that again, or maybe not very often???

Waiting to hear what other more experienced "chickeners" do!!!

 

[JenEric Farms]

Okay..so i just broke out the chicken books i have and this is from Hobby Chickens by Sue Weaver:

The following is acceptable as a optional dietary supplement, but fed in abundance could upset the nutritional balance needed for egg production:

Scratch, grains, greens, most garden produce, and fruit (no potato skins, no avocados), bugs and other foraged goodies

 

[ArizonaNessa]

I know scratch/cracked corn raises their body temps and potato skins (if green) are poison and again I AM NOT SHARING MY AVOCADOS WITH ANYTHING OR ANYONE!!

Here is the treat chart link for anyone that has not found it:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart

I think I post it everywhere, maybe I should put it in my signature line. lol

 

[mom2chicksandpups]

Mine love chopped up fruit. Of course, none of ours are laying yet. (Still a bit too young.)

 

[Redsquirrel]

I never leave any seeds in fruit when i give them to any of my birds-including parrots.,etc
They can be poisonous to them.
I agree with all the comments on balance in diet too. Works best

 

[JenEric Farms]

And here's from the other book, Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens by Gail Damerow:

You can supplement your flock's diet with table scraps such as left-over baked goods, fruit, or vegetable peelings. A few caveats:

1. Don't overdo or the resulting nutritional imbalance may cause slow growth, reduced laying and poor health.

2. Don't feed raw potato peels, which chickens can't easily digest - cook potato peels or avoid them.

3. Don't feed anything spoiled or rotten, which can make chicks sick.

4. Don't feed strong-tasting foods like onions, garlic, or fish, which impart an unpleasant flavor to poultry meat and eggs.

 

[mechagrue]

Quote:
Peach and apricot pits contain trace amounts of something that turns into cyanide in your bloodstream. You shouldn't feed your chickens peach pits... but I doubt you were going to, anyway!

Also, do not eat peach pits. [deadpan]

Cherry pits and apple seeds also contain tiny amounts of this chemical (amygdalin) which turns into cyanide. I doubt your chickens will drop dead if they eat a single apple seed or cherry pit, but it's probably best to try and avoid them as much as possible.

Here's an article on Snopes that talks about it: Apple Seeds Contain A Cyanide Compound: True

 

[ArizonaNessa]

Thanks I knew there was something about that but I was not sure exactly what it was.

 

[TheNewMrsEvans]

I have fed tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, squash, watermelon, apples, nectarines...if I put a little bit in for a few days then everyone is happy and no one get the runs!
I do take out the seeds of apples when feeding to my guinea pigs, but not for a core or two thrown to the chooks...I really like the "in moderation" saying!