Oranges are among the world’s most popular fruits, they are a healthy source of vitamin C and have a many health benefits. But have you ever wondered if chickens can eat oranges or orange peels?
Well, chickens and oranges is what we are going to talk on this page. We are going to tell you everything that you need to know.
Can Chickens Eat Oranges?
Yes, chickens can eat oranges. While chickens may not necessarily require the same amount of Vitamin C that a human does, it is still worth getting a little bit into their diet on occasion.
This could only be healthy for them.
However, you probably do not want your chickens to be eating too many oranges each week. It certainly should not become a staple of their diet.
Can Chickens Eat Orange Peels?
Yes, chickens can eat orange peels because they are not toxic. But the problem is that they tend not to touch the peel or any of the rind of the orange. You can cut up the orange a little bit, but more about this later in the post.
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They May Not Even Like Oranges
The vast majority of chickens who come into contact with oranges will turn their beak up at them. They don’t like them. They may peck a little bit at the orange, but the overwhelming taste probably gets to them.
The same would happen if you gave them any sort of citrus fruit. So, while chickens can eat oranges, they probably won’t.
You can always see if your chickens are willing to eat the oranges, but there are so many other fruits out there that you can give them, like:
There is no sense bothering with oranges unless they are table scraps and you would have thrown them away otherwise.
Serving Oranges to Your Birds
If your chickens do like the taste of oranges, they are probably not going to eat the entire orange.
This means that, at the absolute minimum, you are going to want to cut up the orange a little bit, since chickens do not like the orange peels.
You don’t have to peel the orange, but just make sure that the fleshy interior is completely exposed.
Remember; oranges are incredibly high in sugar. You should not be giving your chickens too many oranges, or other fruits for that matter. It can make them sick.
At the most, you will probably want to be giving your chickens one or two oranges total per week.
You should take the oranges away within a few hours if the chickens haven’t eaten them. The oranges, being high in sugar, can attract pests into the chicken run and coop. The chickens may be able to deal with them, but you still want to reduce the number of pests as much as possible, right?
Are Oranges Toxic to Chickens?
No, the oranges are not toxic for chickens. While, generally speaking, the answer to ‘can chickens eat oranges’ is yes, there are some backyard chicken owners who would never feed their chickens any oranges (or anything high in Vitamin C, for that matter).
This is because some people have noted that a high amount of Vitamin C in a chicken’s diet can cause two things to happen:
- The chickens start to pull out their feathers
- The shell of the eggs become thinner
None of this information is ‘scientific’ at all. There is a chance that it isn’t tied to the intake of oranges at all. However, it is worth bearing in mind that some people have seen negative consequences to feeding their chickens some oranges, and you may see the same.
