Wendyheather
New member
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2015
- Messages
- 2
- Reaction score
- 0
Hi, Newbie here to this forum and my first question is can you feed sweet chestnuts to hens and peacock or not as there are a lot falling at the moment??
Cheers
Cheers
Sweet chestnuts
- Thread starter Wendyheather
- Start date
chrismahon
Well-known member
Hello Wendyheather and welcome to the forum. I doubt they are toxic as such but too many may unbalance their diet in terms of protein percentage and therefore stop them laying. They are apparently high in essential vitamins and minerals though and are essentially a fatty food like sweetcorn. Again too much fat stops a chicken laying. They do go off quickly and it is important to check the centres and make sure there is no mould growth as this is going to cause sour crop. They should be stored in the fridge. As with any treats they should be given in moderation -my inclination would be to try them on one or two cut into small pieces just once a day.
Wendyheather
New member
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2015
- Messages
- 2
- Reaction score
- 0
Thanks for that.
rick
Active member
Chris is absolutely right about not overdoing it - I think my hens are getting a bit portly now as I can't resist giving them a bit of something I know they will like (the leftover rice etc) every time I go into the run for some chicken time!
If you treat sweet chestnuts, in their cases, as seed then they should keep though. Keep them outside in a cool, dry place as if you were storing them for planting. Actually. For planting they would be stored in moist sharp sand in breathable bags and exposed to the frosts to break their dormancy to germinate in spring but as long as they are cool and can breath in natural outdoor air they should be fine.
If I had a bucket full I would smash a few with a hammer from time to time and throw them down as scratch. I think the general principle is not to introduce more than 5% of healthy 'treats' into the daily balanced feed.
If you treat sweet chestnuts, in their cases, as seed then they should keep though. Keep them outside in a cool, dry place as if you were storing them for planting. Actually. For planting they would be stored in moist sharp sand in breathable bags and exposed to the frosts to break their dormancy to germinate in spring but as long as they are cool and can breath in natural outdoor air they should be fine.
If I had a bucket full I would smash a few with a hammer from time to time and throw them down as scratch. I think the general principle is not to introduce more than 5% of healthy 'treats' into the daily balanced feed.
chickenfan
Active member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2013
- Messages
- 1,049
- Reaction score
- 0
I have a few birds that never lay. Is that potentially because they are too fat?
chrismahon
Well-known member
I think abdominal fat obstructs the oviduct Chickenfan. Needless to say it is well documented that fat chickens don't lay. We have one that has never laid in 5 years but certainly isn't fat so must be genetic- clearly not a trait she will be able to pass on.
