[caracroft]

Hi all,
Just a quick question -

My chickens spend much of their time under two of my apple trees.  I was throwing all the windfalls to the pigs before but sadly  they have gone now ( in the freezer)  I have noticed that the chickens love the apples that  I haven't cleared away and am finding apples pecked down to their skins every day. 

Is there any issue anyone knows of about chickens having to much apple in their diet ( my trees still have loads of apples on )?

Thank you
Cara 

[Rosemary]

I HOPE it's OK because we've planted 70 apple trees in the poultry pens and just ordered another 50 trees 

[sokel]

I have had chickens that have got drunk eating apples that have started too ferment 

[Sbom]

Ours gobble them up! We have a few dropped into the duck pond which are starting to ferment........

[Beeducked]

Know nothing about chooks but my geese love apples (amazed at how quickly they demolish them). We have had NO wind falls at all as they are hoovered up the moment they hit the ground!

[chrismahon]

They are fine in moderation as we give some to ours. Chickens can get drunk on windfalls though -we had the problem with pears. They will only eat as many as they want and the local free ranging chickens don't eat any windfalls at all.

[ZaktheLad]

My girls really enjoy having a peck at the windfall apples and I haven't noticed any ill effects from them eating them at all.

[cloddopper]

I have had chickens that have got drunk eating apples that have started too ferment 

 Same happened to our chooks .. a drunk chook is funny to look at . Dad had to collect most of the windfalls in the end to stop them getting drunk incase they went off lay ,.  He fed them to the pig and yes sure enough old blossom got tipsy as well .

[in the hills]

We have loads of windfalls ..... no problems 

[madchickenlady]

I put apples into fat ball feeders and hang them around the garden and run, this gives them great exercise as I hang some just out of reach - they love them but they only get them once or twice a week, I alternate with broccoli, cauliflower, plums, spring greens etc all in the fat ball feeders.

[HesterF]

We had a couple of drunk ducks from the windfalls. I've been giving them all the pressings from the juicing and they all (chickens, ducks and geese) love it. No ill effects that I've noticed and still getting eggs.

H

[MelRice]

How about dogs eating them too..... She saw humans eating them, tried the leftover apple core saw me collecting the windfalls and now tucks into them......It really make the evening farts special

[HesterF]

I've got a friend whose dog eats all things fruit and veg. She broke the bottom branch off their apple tree jumping up for the apples (before they were ripe) and decimated the pumpkin patch last year, destroying the pumpkin that was growing as part of the school competition.

H

[caracroft]

Thanks for all your replies and stories!!     will keep a look out for drunk chickens !!