Healthy and well-developed baby chicks not only eat their typical food like grains, bugs, worms but also need to consume fruits like humans.
Have you ever heard the phrase “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”? So, since apples have a lot of advantages for humans’ health, should we feed baby chicks with apples? Can baby chicks eat apples?
Can baby chicks eat apples?
Of course, baby chicks can eat apples with some caution. Though baby chicks can dig in apples, it does not mean that you can throw a whole apple and let them enjoy it.
Since it can lead to serious health problems if you do not know how to feed baby chicks with apples properly, let’s read some information below to equip yourself with essential knowledge. (Source)
Are apples good for baby chicks?
Apples are one of the healthiest and most popular fruits in the world. Since they bring a lot of great benefits for humans’ health, apples are also very good nutrition supplements for baby chicks.
- Firstly, apples contain a bunch of advantaged substances such as trace elements, fiber, amino acids, and peptides that have a significant role in baby chicks’ diets.
To be more specific, it can strengthen baby chicks’ bone system and musculature. Therefore, baby chicks will grow stronger and have better health.
- Secondly, the amount of natural sugar in apples also provides baby chicks with good energy in order to be more active and energetic.
- Finally, apples are able to detoxify baby chicks’ bodies and remove all harmful substances. Therefore, they will have robust immune systems to resistant to diseases. (Source)
Further reading: Can baby chicks eat eggshells?
Can baby chicks eat apple seeds?
Absolutely not, this is the most crucial notice when giving apples for baby chicks. Apple seeds have cyanogenic glycoside which are toxic for baby chicks’ health.
Though apple seeds contain a tiny amount of cyanogenic glycoside, many poultry experts advise that they should not be fed with baby chicks since they can build up and cause cyanide poisoning for them when consuming.
Precisely, Cyanide can cut the oxygen supply of baby chicks’ body cells and once their cells are not provided with enough oxygen, baby chicks will definitely die.
Apple seeds also can kill an individual if ingesting a considerable quantity. Therefore, make sure to remove all of the apple seeds before feeding your baby chicks.
Read more: Can baby chicks eat worms?
Can baby chicks eat apple peels?
Apple peels will not lead to any dangerous health problems for baby chicks when eating them. Apple peels contain a lot of fiber that is beneficial for their health.
However, a couple of baby chicks can be choosy, so you should determine whether or not they like eating the peels. It would be better to serve them according to their preferences.
Related: Can baby chickens eat oatmeal?
How to feed baby chicks with apples properly?
Here are some tips that you can refer to in order to feed baby chicks with apple appropriately and ensure their health and development:
Firstly, remember to cut apples into moderate-sized portions.
Chickens usually tend to forget how to manage their appetites. Since apples taste sweet and delicious, if you throw a whole apple for your chickens, they will likely consume all of it.
However, it is not good for chickens to consume only one type of food and it can lead to some health issues because of lack of other nutrition.
Secondly, make sure to feed your chickens with the right parts of apples.
To be more specific, you can give them the inner white parts or the peels, but never feed them with apple seeds since it can kill your chickens.
Thirdly, you should supply an adequate amount of apples for your chickens.
Apples cannot replace chickens’ diets because they do not include other essential nutrition. Moreover, apples contain a considerable amount of sugar and it would not be good for them to consume too much sugar.
Therefore, the ideal percentage of this treat in their diets is between the range of 10% and 20%. With this portion, apples can be an excellent treat for chicken flocks.
Fourth, never feed your chickens with rotten apples.
It is not unusual to see many chicken raisers feed the leftovers for their chickens without thought because they cannot eat. However, chickens also encounter some dangerous health problems if they consume rotten food like humans.
So, you should give them fresh and clean apples to prevent them from illness and premature death.
Last but not least, chickens can eat all types of apples, even dried apples.
No matter if they are green, red or yellow apples, they still have the same advantages for chickens’ health as long as you feed them with the right parts.
Plus, chickens can digest food easier if it has a lower amount of moisture, that is why dried apples can be a good choice when you do not have fresh apples. (Source)
Summary
In summary, it would be totally fine for baby chicks to eat apples since they are very beneficial for their health.
However, there are also quite a lot of notices that you need to take into account to feed them properly and achieve the most efficient result such as which parts of the apple chickens can eat, how to prepare apples for chickens, how many apples should they eat, etc.
Therefore, make sure to equip yourself with a basic understanding before feeding your chicken this treat appropriately.