WARNING ~ Apple seeds are poisonous!

[ChezPoulez]

I learned a terrible lesson today. I cut a mealy apple in half this morning and put it out for the girls. I didn't even think about the seeds as I watched one of my girls promptly eat all of the seeds first before starting on the apple. I just came back from an errand and that same hen is now lying dead on the ground. She was fine and healthy this morning and now she's dead. I feel just awful.

I have always heard that apple seeds are poisonous, but never worried about it because I've heard you would have to chew up the seeds of several apples to be poisoned. My girls regularly eat all the leaves off my rhubarb when they can get at it so I know their systems aren't sensitive to the same things we are, but apparently apple seeds are death on chickens.

 

[hlf1996]

I've given my girls (and goats) apples cut into pieces (with seeds) and they are fine.
Edited to say: I am not saying that you are wrong, just in my personal experience it has not caused harm to my animals. Sorry you lost your chicken.

 

[Kevin565]

So sorry for your loss

 

[psimons2004]

OMG - I am SOOOO sorry! That is just awful!
I have my chickens TONs of apples and never had a problem....
They fall off the tree even into the chicken yard!
I hadn't heard that! Thank you so much for sharing and I am so sorry you lost a friend!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I have given whole apples to chickens in the past without problems. I am thinking your blessed little chicken might have passed anyway. I am so sorry for your loss.

 

[PurpleChicken]

I'm sorry to hear about your bird however the amount of cyanide contained in apple seeds is so small it's very unlikely that was the cause of death. Apples have always been a regular part of my chickens' diet and I've never had any issues. I know of many people who have apple trees and chickens who have also never had an issue.

 

[johnsons-r-us]

We give our chickens the cores after eating the apples. We've always done that. I wonder why nothing has happened to mine? Did they not each eat enough seeds or something? We also have two apple trees and tons of apples fall. The chickens free ranged all summer eating anything from the fruit trees and nothing happened. I'm confused o this.

 

[welasharon]

Mine have eaten lots of apples, seeds and all. Has anyone else had this happen? I was told to feed apples to my shamo even.
sharon
ETA: man, you guys type fast!

 

[shuizar209]

Its not the apples. My runs are underneath 2 apple trees and the apples fall like crazy and my birds eat every one of them seeds and all with no ill effects. Had to be from something else. Maybe sour crop and the apple fermented in her crop?

 

[clairabean]

I am sorry.

But is there anything else that may have caused this?