Are Apples Safe for Chickens? What You Need to Know
When deciding which treats to feed your chickens aside from the pellets that you give them, you might be wondering whether chickens can eat apples.
Can Chickens Eat Apples?
The good news is that chickens can eat apples, and these are actually quite nutritious for them as long as you don’t feed them too many. You should always limit any treats, even fruits, and vegetables, to around 10 percent of your flock’s diet.
This is because apples are quite high in sugar, and feeding them too many could result in your hens becoming obese. In saying that, apples do contain many vitamins and minerals that are beneficial to the health of your hens.
Apples also contain high levels of vitamin C, which can keep your chickens healthy and help them to fight off diseases. Additionally, the high fiber content of the apple flesh is excellent for maintaining good bowel health in your chickens.
Even fermented apples are beneficial to chickens. In fact, studies have shown that giving apple cider vinegar to chickens is good for their gut health by reducing harmful bacteria.
Can Chickens Eat Apple Pie?
Even though apple pie is delicious for humans and contains lots of healthy apples, it also contains lots of sugar and shouldn’t be fed to your chickens.
Can Chickens Eat Applesauce?
Applesauce can be a healthy treat for your hens as it contains plenty of fiber and vitamin C. However, you should only feed your chickens applesauce that you’ve made yourself without adding any sugar.
Purchased applesauce shouldn’t be fed to chickens because it contains far too much sugar to be healthy for them.
Can Chickens Eat Crab Apples?
Crab apples are perfectly fine to feed to your chickens as they are just as nutritious as regular apples. Just like normal apples, crab apples are high in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
The best way to feed crab apples to your chickens is to remove the core and seeds first so that your hens aren’t tempted to digest any of the seeds.
Can Chickens Eat Apple Seeds?
It’s not a good idea to let your chickens eat apple seeds because they contain a compound called amygdaline which can release cyanide when crushed. However, don’t worry too much if your chickens accidentally eat a seed or two because the minute amount of cyanide found in just one seed won’t be enough to harm your chicken.
Can Chickens Eat Apple Skin?
You can definitely feed apple skins to your chickens. In fact, the skin is even more beneficial to your chickens because it contains high levels of antioxidants. It’s also commonly understood that apple skin has the ability to reduce bad cholesterol in chickens.
Can Chickens Eat Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal?
As long as the oatmeal doesn’t contain any additional sugar, it’s fine to feed to your chickens. In fact, you can even purchase ready-made apple cinnamon oatmeal specifically for chickens. All you have to do is add hot water and give it to your hens as a warming and nutritious treat in winter.
You’ll find that the oats contain lots of nutritious vitamins and antioxidants as well as protein. And cinnamon is also good for chickens, especially in winter, as it helps to maintain respiratory and mucus membrane health.
How Do You Prepare Apples For Your Chickens?
The best way to prepare apples is to remove the core and seeds first and then just slice them or cut them into wedges. These can just be scattered on the ground so your hens can forage. However, make sure you remove any leftovers so that these don’t attract vermin.