Citrus Fruit and rinds - are they ok to feed chickens?

[mtnviewfarms]

Thought I saw somewhere that it's not recommended to feed citrus fruits to chickens
but can't figure out why...........comments? Thanks.

 

[sumi]

The general opinion is that it's "not recommended" and many people say their chickens simply refuse to eat it, which is a good sign. Chickens are clever when it comes to food. They instinctively know which things are harmful and avoid it. I've seen this with my own flock. I offered my roo some avocado once (not knowing it's on the no-no list) and he refused to even peck it once. He knew!

I found this study on the effects of feeding citrus peels to broiler chicks:

http://www.ulmer.de/Artikel.dll/afg0836d-206_MTYzMzQ.PDF

Very interesting read!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Great Read Sumi! Guilty of skipping to the summary, as I dont understand the scientifics!

Here is yet another positive!!! http://www.examiner.com/article/why-feeding-oranges-to-cows-and-chickens-could-save-lifes

"And the researchers found that not only did the citrus waste provide vitamins and roughage for the animals, they also did what researchers hoped- they reduced the amount of harmful bacteria in the guts of animals without harming the good bacteria animals need to digest food."

"Natural solutions to problems are a win-win situation for all. Citrus producers get another source of income from a waste product, which they will no longer have to find a way to dispose of. Animals get a tasty and nutritious feed supplement that keeps harmful bacteria from causing digestive and other problems. Livestock producers get a reasonably priced, all natural alternative to antibiotics that food critics approve of. And people will have a reduced chance of getting food borne diseases without worrying that those organisms are developing resistance to life saving antibiotics.​

If you are a backyard producer of meat and eggs you may want to feed your animals citrus products when you can. Left over orange and grapefruit peels turn out to be excellent treats for livestock. (Fruit juice probably won’t have any major impact on bacteria as it lacks the oils found in the peel.) Here in Michigan we probably won’t have access to cheap or free piles of citrus waste to give our animals but it sure won’t hurt to recycle any waste citrus we do have. Remember to introduce any new food gradually and of course, don’t overdo it."

 

[donrae]

Mine will eat a little orange pulp, won't touch the peels.

 

[Haunted55]

Large jar with cover, vodka, 'bout 1 cup, orange peels, lemon peels, whatever. Let sit someplace out of direct sunlight for a week or 2. You now have the oils of the peels in the vodka. I would think 1 tsp per gallon ought to be enough. Or you could just use ACV. It does the same thing. It makes the enviroment of the gut unlikely to house bad bacteria.

 

[debid]

My chickens get the scraps when I supreme or juice citrus. They eat everything but the hard peel.

And, if I'm going to take the time to infuse vodka with citrus rinds, I'm NOT giving it to the chickens!

 

[mhaddon]

Great to know. We have a lot of oranges from FFA fruit that I've been juicing. I threw out the rinds with some leftover meat and sweet potatoes. I was hoping after I did it that it was ok!

 

[ramirezframing]

My chickens get the scraps when I supreme or juice citrus. They eat everything but the hard peel.

And, if I'm going to take the time to infuse vodka with citrus rinds, I'm NOT giving it to the chickens!

lol I'm with you on this

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: x3 !!!! LOL

 

[Haunted55]

My chickens get the scraps when I supreme or juice citrus. They eat everything but the hard peel.

And, if I'm going to take the time to infuse vodka with citrus rinds, I'm NOT giving it to the chickens!

Lol! I don't either but it is an option and you'd have very happy chickens.