You are currently viewing Can Chickens Eat Apple Seeds? A Comprehensive Guide
Can Chickens Eat Apple Seeds?

Can Chickens Eat Apple Seeds? A Comprehensive Guide

Are you interested in discovering that my chickens can consume apple seeds and other components like apple flesh and peels?

Not! It would be best never to give your chicken friends apple seeds, as they contain dangerous substances. Amygdalin, sometimes known as cyanide, is the chemical name of this substance. Your feathered friends should need to avoid this substance. Therefore, if your chicken consumes a massive amount of apple seeds containing dangerous amygdalin, it could have various health issues and even suffer death. This article will provide you with all the facts on apple seeds for hens. Hence, please continue reading the posts to the end.

Why Are Apple Seeds Toxic for Chickens?

Since cyanide is included in apple seeds, as I’ve already mentioned, birds should not eat them. The apple seeds cause your hens’ metabolisms to be upset when they eat them. Apples also have cyanide in their stems and leaves. The apple seeds become poisonous to your feathered buddies once your chicken has digested them. Apple seeds that have been crushed release a dangerous chemical called hydrogen cyanide when they encounter digestive fluids.

What Is Cyanide Poisoning? 

A fast-acting and extremely harmful chemical is cyanide. The cyanide material causes a severe reaction in your chickens when they ingest it. Your chicken’s body responds to this condition by cutting off the oxygen flow to its cells, even if those cells are already dead. It prevents the chicken body’s cells from respiring when mixed with iron. This is called cyanide poisoning.

Cyanide can be found in various fruits and vegetables, including apricot pits, which are also cyanide-rich.

What Signs Indicate Cyanide Poisoning? 

If your chicken consumes many apple seeds and you do not see them eating them, they will suffer from cyanide poisoning. The symptoms of cyanide poisoning in chickens are as follows:

  • Due to a lack of oxygen, the color of the comb changes to blue or purple.
  • Your chicken has difficulty breathing. 
  • Chickens have the highest risk of sudden death.
  • Your chicken can pant with its mouth open.

If you did not call a veterinarian, it would take a chicken approximately 25 to 35 minutes to die from cyanide poisoning. When a chicken dies from cyanide poisoning, the oxygenated blood turns bright red, and the blood is filled with blood tissues.

How Do You Treat Cyanide Poisoning in Chickens?

You need to call a veterinarian to protect your chickens’ lives if your chickens unluckily consume apple seeds and experience the various symptoms that I have already described to you. Your chicken will receive the proper medication from your veterinarian.

The best immediate treatments for chicken cyanide poisoning are amyl and sodium nitrate, if your bird can take them at exposure time. Home cures are, regrettably, still an option if you need to call a veterinarian in an emergency, although it is always preferable to call your chicken’s veterinarian immediately.

Apple seeds for chickens

How Many Apple Seeds Are Toxic to Chicken Health?

Apple seeds shouldn’t ever be utilized for hens because they are poisonous, as previously explained. Unfortunately, if your chicken can eat 2 to 3 seeds, there is no risk of illness in your flock. However, if your chicken consumes excessive amounts of apple seeds at once, it will most likely suffer from various health issues. They may also die suddenly. So keep an eye on the health of your feathered friends.

Summary 

Finally, I’ll advise against ever giving your flock of friends cyanide-containing poisonous fruits and veggies because cyanide is deadly to both people and hens. So, please remove the seeds from the apple’s interior before offering it to your chicken buddies. Consuming these toxic chemicals does not have any positive effects. It’s all up to you how you make your chicken healthy. Contact your poultry veterinarian immediately if your chicken unintentionally eats the dangerous apple seeds.

FAQs:

Are apple leaves poisonous to chickens?

Yes, apple leaves are bad for chicken health as well. There is a minimal quantity of cyanide in the apple leaves as well. Although most hens don’t like to eat apple leaves, if your chicken can access an apple tree in your garden and eat some leaves, they will likely consume the same quantity of cyanide.
As a result, you should keep your chickens away from the area where you planted your apple trees. It is not harmful to your chicken’s health if they consume a few apple leaves. Your chicken friends have too many chances of becoming ill if they consume too many apple leaves.

Can I serve apple cores with my chicken?

Apple cores are difficult to eat, so I advise keeping them away from your feathered companions. Your chickens are toothless. As a result, your chicken may need help to consume the apple cores. The apple cores were not particularly appealing to most chickens; instead, they preferred to finish the apple flesh and peels. You may also serve the apple cores to your feathered friend if they enjoy eating them. But I wanted to keep this challenging core stuff away from my buddies.

Can baby chicks be harmed by eating apple seeds?

Yes, apple seeds are dangerous to your baby chicks. Because of cyanogenic glycoside, apple seeds are toxic to chicken health, as previously stated. On the other hand, baby chicks are too small to consume these hard seeds. Your chicks’ digestive systems are weak and incapable of digesting hard foods.
If you feed apple seeds to your baby chicks, they will not be interested in eating these seeds. However, if they consume these hard seeds, they will suffer from several dangerous health problems. As a result, I will never recommend using apple seeds for baby chicks again.

Leave a Reply

  • Post author:
  • Post comments:0 Comments
  • Post last modified:October 23, 2023