Is Pineapple toxic for chickens?

[BigLar368]

Late yesterday around 6:30 in the evening I cored 2 pineapples. I cut what was left in half and fed it to my chickens (17) and ducks (4). I have done this a few times since we have had them. I never feed them to top of the pineapple. I always twist the top off then core the inside with a coring tool and feed the rest to the birds. about 45 minutes later we went out to put them up for the night and one of our buffs was dead. Looked like she just laid down and went to sleep. She had no wounds or missing feathers. In fact she was still warm and not even stiff yet. She showed no signs of illness and ran over with the other birds when I put the pineapple down. Curious if anyone else has had something like this happen.

 

[AngelinaThePekin8]

Did you notice her acting off before feeding it to them?
Is any of the others acting strange?

 

[Chick_Crazy]

Sorry for the loss of your hen! I give my chickens pineapple once and awhile, and they typically love it. I have never lost a hen after giving them pineapple. Maybe she had trouble digesting it? Sorry I can’t be of any help! Hope someone else can help you!

 

[Battlepants]

Pineapple isn't found on the list of toxic plants here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/comprehensive-list-of-poisonous-plants-and-trees.627282/

But, pineapple is quite acidic and might cause problems there. The most acidic thing that I have given my chickens is oranges, which they pecked at a bit but mostly avoided. No problems were had from the oranges.

With the timespan of 45 mintues, I'm feeling like the pineapple is unrelated to the issue.

Check out her crop - is it full?
Check out her rear end - was she able to pass eggs/poop?

 

[Mrs J]

I have always believed pineapple given in moderation is good for a chicken. It contains good nutrients and also helps the digestive system. But again only given in moderation, it also contains bromelain which has anti inflammatory properties.

 

[3KillerBs]

I always throw the pineapple peel, etc, into the run and the chickens eat some of it with no ill effect.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Sorry for your loss but I agree it’s unlikely that eating pineapple would cause a quick demise like that.

 

[Weeg]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I do agree that pineapple was not the issue here.
Do you still have her body? The only way to know what happened would be to send her in for a necropsy at your state lab, or do one yourself. You would like to send her in, than keep her body cold but not frozen.
I'm sorry you have to consider this.

 

[BigLar368]

Yeah she's already gone. I felt her rear end and stomach and could not feel any eggs. My wife thinks she may have slipped off the side of the duck pond and hit her head on the way down. We found her right next to the pond. They have fresh clean water but some of them insist on drinking dirty duck pond water. I have no idea why...lol. They are straight up savages.

Before we found her she was perfectly fine. She was actually the heaviest chicken we have and her feathers were full and bright. We can usually tell when there is something wrong with one of them. We had a sick one few weeks ago. She was getting better but fell in the duck pond and drowned. Thing is if they stand up in the water they are only about 3/4 submerged but I guess she was too weak. Weather was not a factor as it was well into the 80's that day. I have found a healthy one in the duck pond before...lol.

As far as the other birds are concerned, they all look just fine. At the end of the day, we treat them as though they are pets but they are only here for only two reason.....eggs and fertilizer for our garden...lol. Thanks to all for all the kind words.

 

[Weeg]

She was actually the heaviest chicken we have and her feathers were full and bright.

Do you feed many treats? What feed do you feed?
Fatty liver disease is a common reason for, "sudden death", maybe thats what we're experiencing here. Especially since she was heavy.