Chickens love to eat apples because they find the sweet flavor of the fruit irresistible. However, can chickens eat apples with skins? Yes, they can. In this article, we will discuss how healthy apple skin is for chickens and why you should never eliminate it.
Is Apple skin safe for Chickens?
Yes! The apple skin is safe to eat for chickens. Apple skins have a high fiber content and contain Vitamins C, A, and other key nutrients. That said, you must control the quantity.
Since chickens have small stomachs, feeding them a small number of apple skins at a time is best.
Apple skins are also fibrous and tough, making it hard for chickens to digest them. If the chickens eat many apple skins, it can cause crop impaction.
What are the benefits of eating Apples with Skin for Chickens?
Now that we have addressed this: Can chickens eat apples with skin, let’s discuss the benefits the skin offers to the chicken. Most of the nutrients in apples are below the skin, making the skin very nutritious for the birds. Here are some benefits of the skin:
The skin is a good source of vitamin c and fiber and a good source of minerals such as potassium and magnesium.
Can Chicks eat Unpeeled Apples?
Unfortunately, chicks may find it tough to digest the apple skin, so it is not best to feed them unpeeled apples. The digestive system in chicks is not strong enough to process unpeeled apples, and apples with skin can also cause digestive problems in chicks.
However, once the chicks are at least three-weeks-old, you can feed them unpeeled apples. Please ensure you cut the unpeeled apples into small chunks before feeding the apple to the chicks.
Read More: Can Chickens eat Apple Cores?
How to add Apples with skin to the Chickens’ diet?
You can add unpeeled apples to the chickens’ diet in a few ways. The first method is to offer unpeeled apples as a standalone food. However, if you feed your chickens unpeeled apples, you must cut them into small chunks.
Another method is adding sliced, unpeeled apples to the chickens’ diet, making it easier for the chickens to eat and digest the apples. The last method is to add unpeeled apple chunks to other foods. You can mix unpeeled apples with other vegetables or fruits and feed them to the chickens.
However, please remember that apple seeds are lethal for chickens, so no matter how you feed your chickens unpeeled apples, remove the seeds. The seeds are around the apple’s core.
Adding unpeeled apples to the chickens’ diet will give them all the nutrients they need and raise their happiness.
Can chickens consume store-bought Unpeeled Apples?
If you are giving your chickens store-bought unpeeled apples, you must be careful, as they may contain pesticides. Pesticides are chemicals that farmers use to eliminate pests. Pesticides are dangerous for chickens; if they eat them, they can get sick.
To prevent your chickens from consuming pesticides, it is better to feed them organic apples. However, if you still decide to give them store-bought apples, please clean them thoroughly. A thorough scrub or wash with vinegar will remove the pesticide from the apples.
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed whether can chickens eat apples with skins. Chickens can eat unpeeled apples as long as you remove the apple seeds. You can also mix unpeeled apples with different vegetables and fruits and feed them to the chickens.
However, if you are feeding your chickens commercial varieties of apples, you must thoroughly clean them.
Read More: Can Chickens eat Apples?
