what's the deal with chickens and avocados?

[NT]

I recall reading that chickens should not eat avocados or avocado skins - why? I'm asking because my run is very near my neighbor's avocado tree and if she doesn't keep it pruned back sometimes leaves and old avocados fall near my run. I think the chicken wire will keep out the avocados, but maybe not all the leaves. Should I be worried, are avocados poisonous for chickens?

 

[MyBlackHen]

From what I've read and heard, it can give them diarrhea. Very messy. My friend accidently threw an avacado in with the rest of her kitchen scraps for the chickens and it took many weeks for the diarrhea to run its course.

 

[Ravishaw]

and chicken poo isn't tidy to begin with...

 

[maizey]

free quacamole! Id be fighting the chickens for the windfall

 

[emilysteng]

I read that there is a type of acid in avocados that is not good for the chickens so they shouldn't eat it.

On the other hand, I live in hawaii and the wild chickens gobble up the avocados that fall off the trees with seemingly no ill effects. Of course, they may get diarrhea and I just don't know it. My feral chicken friend has eaten a half avocado in a sitting and nothing bad has ever happened to her from that.

 

[Ohhhdear]

I found a bag of soft avocados on the too-old rack at the grocery store today and cut up two of them for my girls. They gobbled the soft green flesh right down the the hard rind, then wiped their beaks and were gabbling for more.

Sortof reminded me of watching them enjoying yogurt for the first time! I'll wait a couple days to give them any more, just to see if the oily avocado is giving them any GI problems.

 

[Ariel301]

Mine eat one on occasion when it manages to go bad before I can eat it. It never hurts them. But....that is one avocado spread between 20+ birds.

 

[RainbowBirds_of_a_Feather]

Aloha,


I love avocados! It is excellent source of Vitamin K as well as a good source of Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C. An avocado also contains nearly twice as much potassium as a banana which contributes to regulating blood pressure. I have so much that I feed it to the chooks fallen ones. It is a good source of protein too. But for the chooks the fallen avocados mean bugs too, in the form of maggots. If the fruit flies get a chance to lay their eggs in it. After they filled their crops on the avocados they got to range to supplement their other needs. Same thing with mangoes, they clean the seeds. The consumption of feed when feed other things lessons. But this is just my experience, though. you would have to try it out.


The funny thing about them eating avocados is they are a mess. Feathers creamed with the food they ate.

 

[HeritageHens]

Persin poisoning.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persin

Persin is a fungicidal toxin present in the avocado. It is generally harmless to humans, but when consumed by domestic animals in large quantities it is dangerous. It has been suggested as a treatment for breast cancer.

The chemistry of persin is not yet understood, but it is similar to a fatty acid, carried in an oil, and it leaches into the body of the fruit from the pits. Negative effects in humans seem to be primarily in allergic individuals.

Feeding avocados or guacamole to any non-human animal should be avoided completely. The symptoms include gastrointestinal irritation, vomiting, diarrhea, respiratory distress, congestion, fluid accumulation around the tissues of the heart and even death. Birds seem to be particularly sensitive to this toxic compound.

In birds, the symptoms are: increased heart rate, myocardial tissue damage, labored breathing, disordered plumage, unrest, weakness, and apathy. High doses cause acute respiratory syndrome (asphyxia), with death approximately 12 to 24 hours after consumption... ​

 

[WhiteRaven]

Quote:

Ouchin the BYC chicken foods list it says about the toxidity of avacados