Can Chickens Eat Peaches? All You Need To Know

Is it safe to feed peaches to your chickens? Yes, these delicious, aromatic fruits will delight your flock. They will love the special treat.

Do Chickens Love To Eat Peaches?​

Because peaches smell appealing and taste good to chickens, they eat them readily. They also enjoy pecking at the peach texture.

Are Peaches Healthy For Chickens?​

It's true: peaches have many nutrients that chickens need, so this fruit is a healthy treat. Moreover, this fruit is rich in minerals and vitamins but low in calories.

Is Peach Skin Safe For Chickens?​

Peach skins are safe for chickens to eat, just like other fruits and vegetables. The skin of a peach is surprisingly healthy for chickens. When you feed them to your chickens, they will benefit from all sorts of nutrients.

Due to their thin skin, peach fruits can be cut with their skins attached. Using peaches this way, chickens can obtain nutrition both from the flesh and skin of the fruit.

Is Peach Flesh Safe For Your Chickens?​

Chickens can eat peach flesh as well as the skin. This fruit is filled with water and vitamins that your flock can consume. You'll also find that your chickens absolutely love to peck and consume peach fruit. The pulpy fruit is exactly what your flock would love to consume.

Is Peach Seed Safe For Your Chickens?​

Chickens should not be given peaches with pits or seeds. Besides having little nutritional value, the seed/pit contains a toxin, cyanide, which can be fatal to your chickens. The same goes for the seeds of plums. So in order to prevent health issues among your chickens, you should slice the peach first and remove the seed before serving the fruit.

Nutrients Your Chickens Can Benefit From Peaches​

The following are the primary nutrients found in peaches that can benefit your chickens.

Vitamin C​

Your flock benefits greatly from vitamin C because it helps with collagen production. Furthermore, it boosts your chickens' immune system.

Collagen​

Chickens need collagen to heal wounds and recover from injuries. Moreover, collagen plays a key role in the development of healthy skin in chickens.

Potassium​

Peach fruit has potassium that helps chickens' core cells function. Many diseases and health problems can be prevented by consuming this nutrient, such as kidney stones, strokes, and high blood pressure.

Fiber​

Peaches contain fiber, which helps control a chicken's weight. As a result, your flock is not at risk of obesity which can lead to serious health issues. In addition, fiber strengthens the colon of chickens.

Carbohydrates​

A chicken fed with peaches will also get carbohydrates to keep it energetic. Furthermore, peaches contain carbohydrates which are beneficial to your flock's health.

Water​

Your chickens can stay hydrated by eating a peach. Peaches have a high water content that is perfect for your feathered companions.

Benefits Your Chickens Can Get From Eating Peaches​

Antioxidants​

Antioxidants are essential for the health and growth of chickens. The chickens' bodies are protected from damage caused by free radicals due to antioxidants.

Boosts Immunity​

There is a lot of vitamin C in this fruit. It is well known that this vitamin boosts immunity in humans and animals, thus helping people and animals stay healthy. The same is true for chickens. If you have sick chickens, feeding them peaches and other vitamin C-rich treats will put them on the road to recovery.

Helps With Digestion​

Feeding peaches to chickens will result in a healthy digestive system. Approximately two grams of fiber can be found in one medium fruit. It is made up of half soluble fiber and half insoluble fiber.

Beneficial bacteria in the chickens' intestines are maintained by soluble fiber. Short-chain fatty acids produced by these bacteria are essential to the gut cells of chickens.

Insoluble fibers also help make the stool denser, since they help move foods through the digestive tract efficiently. Insoluble fibers also prevent constipation.

Other Benefits Of Peaches To Your Chickens​

Generally, chickens are curious and energetic animals. The birds weren't domesticated at the beginning. Thus, it's natural to see your flock constantly pecking at something and sometimes on each other!

Despite the fact that chickens can adjust to domestication without any problem, you still need to keep them occupied. A sedentary chicken cannot thrive so make sure your poultry are physically active.

Peaches can be used to entertain or exercise your flock. There are two ways you can stimulate your chickens’ physical activities using peaches.

Scattered Slices and Cubes – To encourage your birds to scavenge, scatter slices or cubes of peaches on the ground for them to find.
Hidden Peach Slices or Cubes - It's a smart choice to hide the slices under some hay so your chickens can discover them. Your chickens will remain active, entertained, and healthy by following these methods.
Hung Peach Cubes – Slices or cubed peaches can be hung on a thin string and tied to a tree branch, solid pole, or stick near the chicken coop. The birds will jump and run for the treat. Your flock will be delighted.

How To Feed Peaches To Chickens​

You can serve peaches to your chickens in different ways. Below are a few ideas.

The whole peach​

Once the seeds are removed from the peach, you can serve it to your flock whole. The seeds are not normally eaten by chickens, but some may be curious and peck at them anyway.

Hanging The Peach​

Hanging fruit from a branch is another way to keep chickens occupied. Peach fruits can also be hung for your chickens to peck at, like a tetherball.

Adding peaches to chicken feed​

A good way to include nutrition in chicken feeds is to mix peaches with it.

Whatever way you feed peaches to your chickens, be sure to wash the fruit first. The skins of fruits like peaches, which you buy in supermarkets, are covered with wax and other contaminants. To remove wax, soak or rinse your peach well with lukewarm water first.

Can Chickens Eat Canned Peaches?​

Preservatives are commonly added to canned peaches to keep them fresh for a long time.

More often than not, canned peaches contain sodium benzoate, ascorbic acid, citric acid, and salt as preservatives. The health of chickens can be negatively affected by preservatives. Sugar is also added to the fruit in the cans in order to retain the flavor.

How Much Peach To Feed Your Chickens​

In moderation, chickens can also eat peaches. Chickens should eat 90 percent of their diet from quality commercial feed. The percentage of treats like peaches in their diet should be around ten percent. What is the reason behind this? There are enough nutrients in commercial feeds to meet the chickens' dietary requirements. So your backyard chickens should only be fed snacks in small amounts.

Other good snacks include eggplants, sunflower seeds, bell peppers, rhubarb (except the leaves which contain oxalic acid) and iceberg lettuce. Scraps to avoid include green potatoes, green potato skins, leaves of the tomato plant since they contain the toxin solanine.