Now the question is, can chickens eat pears? When I started keeping backyard chickens, I was somehow skeptical about what to feed them. Initially, I didn’t know which types of foods and treats to give them. But with time, I discovered that these lovely birds could eat almost anything edible. And that is the time I turned to several treats to supplement their diet.
Well, what is good for you is suitable for your birds as well. This means that your flock can eat pears in addition to other treats. Provided that you feed them in moderation, pears are a delicious and nutritious treat for your fowl.
Chickens are fond of eating everything you throw at them. These domestic birds would peck at different types of foods just to have their taste. Feeding them vegetables and fruits as treats are excellent and even healthy for them. Pears are some of the treats that your birds will enjoy eating the most.
Pears are a unique type of fruit, and you can compare them to apples in terms of nutritional value. Besides, we consume this fruit in many different forms, such as canned, dried, juice, and fresh fruits. Also, pears are processed into jams and jellies and used alongside other foods.
Regardless of consuming pears in different forms, this fruit serves as a rich source of essential nutrients to keep us healthy. The same case is valid when you feed it to your chickens.
Keep in mind that moderation should be your guiding principle when giving your chickens this type of treat. Don’t give them too much of it because they might refuse to eat their usual staple diet. Excess pears can also lead to serious health problems among your flocks.
So, you need to be extra careful when it comes to supplementing your flock’s diet with pears. On that note, let’s find out more about the importance of pears to your chickens.
Why Should You Feed Pears to Your Chickens?
There are many reasons why you need to provide your birds with pears. These reasons make this fruit the ultimate choice of treats for them.
First forward, pears are fruits known for their delicious flavor since time immemorial. Widely used across the globe, the health benefits of this treat are quite many. From aiding in weight loss to improving digestion all the way to boosting heart health, this fruit is just right for your flock. Most importantly, it is to increase your bird’s immune system as well as reducing inflammation.
A typical pair contains more than 80 percent water, and the rest is essential nutrients that your birds need. As a matter of fact, 15 percent is carbohydrates, including a small amount of fat and protein. These building blocks play a critical role in ensuring that your chickens are healthy, productive, and happy.
In addition to that, pears are a rich source of other useful dietary elements such as fiber and vitamins. You will find out that this treat is actually laden with vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B5, vitamin B 6, vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin K.
Along with that, there are minerals such as iron, calcium, manganese, magnesium, potassium, sodium, zinc, and phosphorus. All these nutrients play different roles to promote the wellbeing of your chickens.
Pears contain a substantial amount of sugar. At 9.7 percent, sugar in a pear is slightly less than what an apple contains. Despite this huge difference, a pear is still a reliable source of essential nutrients for your birds. A few pieces of this treat can create a difference in their diet if you feed them sparingly.
What are the Health Benefits of Feeding Pears to Your Chickens?
There are more than 3000 known species of pears grown in different parts of the world today. This should tell you that most of these fruits have varying quantities of nutrients. But that should not be an issue as far as giving your birds treats is concerned.
Most pears become ripe quickly at room temperature. In fact, they ripen faster when you leave them in a bowl containing bananas. This should serve as an advantage to you, given that you will have a steady supply of ripe pears for the chickens to enjoy.
Pears are sweet and delicious pomaceous fruits containing juicy flesh. This popular fruit originated in China and is native to North Africa, Europe, and Asia.
For thousands of years, it has been used in many diets around the world. No wonder it has found its way in Roman history, Celtic literature, and Chinese lore. It can grow almost anywhere, especially in regions with temperate, cold weather conditions. Besides, it is versatile, easy to maintain, and beneficial healthwise.
Below are health benefits of feeding your chickens pears:
Pears Optimize Digestion in Chickens
In addition to being a tasty treat for your chickens, pears are also rich in many nutrients. Each of these nutrients contributes to the wellbeing of your chickens. For instance, they promote digestion, among other uses.
Pears are among the numerous fruits that are rich in dietary fiber. A single pear can provide your chicken with about 18 percent of fiber daily. As you may know, dietary fiber is a requirement for improving digestive health.
Most of its fibers come as a non-soluble polysaccharide, which means that it acts as a bulking agent while in the intestines. At the same time, it helps in regulating bowel movements in a bid to reduce constipation and diarrhea.
Pears Promote Antioxidant Activity in Chickens
Just like other types of fruits, pears are packed with antioxidant elements that are helpful to your birds. One of the most notable antioxidant nutrients found in this fruit is vitamin C.
Vitamin C is effective in combating various health conditions and diseases within the body. And pears can provide your birds with enough antioxidants to keep them healthy.
Antioxidant components of vitamin A, vitamin C, and flavonoid compounds such as beta carotene and zeaxanthin help get rid of free radicals from the body.
Pears Can Boost Immunity in Your Chickens
Pears can boost your chicken’s immune system. This is because they are rich in vitamin C, which has many health benefits, including boosting immunity. Vitamin C stimulates the production of white blood cells to protect the body against diseases. This way, it can eliminate conditions such as flu, common cold, and all other mild illnesses that affect chickens.
Pears Improve Heart Health Among Your Chickens
Pears have large quantities of potassium, which plays a significant role in your chicken’s heart. High potassium levels are essential in maintaining heart health. This is because potassium is excellent in lowering blood pressure, a process known as a vasodilator. Therefore, it helps increase the flow of blood to every part of the body, making your birds healthy and active.
Pears Improve Blood Circulation in Your Chickens
Due to the high content of iron and copper, pears can improve blood circulation in your chickens. Copper improves and facilitates the uptake of different types of minerals that are essential to your birds.
High levels of iron enhance the synthesis of red blood cells, which improves oxygen circulation in blood.
Pears contain large amounts of iron and copper, and they can prevent cognitive malfunction, muscle weakness, fatigue, and organ system malfunction. This makes your birds stay healthy and alert throughout.
Pears Reduce Cases of Inflammation in Your Chickens
Since pears contain flavonoid and antioxidant components, they can easily induce anti-inflammatory effects in your chicken’s body. As a result, they reduce the pain and swelling caused by inflammation.
In other words, pears can contribute to the reduction of symptoms associated with rheumatic conditions, gout, and many others.
How Do You Serve Your Chickens Pears?
When it comes to feeding pears to your chickens, you should use only the ripe ones. Take a few pears and wash them thoroughly before removing the cores.
The main reason for taking out the cores is to prevent your birds from eating the seeds. Typically, seeds contain a certain amount of cyanide, which is extremely toxic for your birds.
Once you finish washing pears, slice them into smaller pieces before tossing them to your birds. When cut into smaller pieces, pears become easy to eat, given that chickens have no teeth to chew them.
Most importantly, you should give them this treat in small quantities to supplement their usual diet. Too many pears can cause digestive problems to your chickens.
Related Questions
At what age should you provide your chickens with pears? Your chicken’s age matters a lot when feeding them pears. In this regard, you must wait until your birds are two weeks old before you can feed them this treat.
Are there risks posed by feeding your chickens too many pears? Yes. Pears, just like other fruits, contain higher amounts of glucose and fructose. These two components make them to be considered fermentable oligosaccharides disaccharides monosaccharides & polyols (FODMAP). As such, they may increase bloating, pain, gas, and diarrhea in chickens.
Final Thought
Chickens can indeed eat pears. This type of fruit contains a lot of nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals. Each nutrient plays an essential role in keeping your birds healthy and productive. When fed in small quantities, pears can benefit your chickens healthwise and for a very long time.
Below is a Pinterest friendly photo…. so you can pin it to your Chicken Board!!
