Can Chickens Eat Apples? (DIY Fruit Macrame Basket)

Can chickens eat apples? (DIY fruit macrame basket below) Turns out that chickens love apples! However, there is a way to safely feed chickens apples as healthy treats! Along with apples, most fruit are generally safe for chickens to eat and with some, you can even include the skin, like a banana peel, for an added nutritional benefit!

Health benefits for feeding your chickens apples as a healthy treat.

Apples are a good source of dietary fiber and a good source of vitamins including: a high source of vitamin C, B complex vitamins, vitamin K, and small amounts of vitamin E. They are also rich in amino acids. Apples also have naturally occuring minerals such as calcium, potassium and phosphorus, along with antioxidant properties. It is no wonder why this fruit is so loved by most humans! Who knew that you could include this fun treat into chickens’ diets to help with their immune system and overall health!  An apple a day might keep the chicken doctor away!

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

I usually buy bushels of local apples during the apple season, which unfortunately leaves us with some overly ripe apples, only because we can’t eat them fast enough.  These are a tasty snack for backyard chickens!  Of course the chicken would be happy with apple pulp, fresh apples, store-bought apples, or non-organic apples. I will let you make the call on that last one. When making an apple pie, I usually will toss the apple skins into the chicken run for a tasty treat! It is so much fun to watch how excited they are when they get them!

Although fruits are nutritious treats and have many health benefits, they do need to be incorporated into a balanced diet. 

Apple Cider Vinegar for chicken health.

Apple Cider Vinegar is a type of vinegar made from fermented whole apples that have been crushed. Not only does Apple Cider Vinegar help with human gut health, but it also has beneficial properties for our feathered friends’ digestive system too! There are studies that show that hens receiving apple cider vinegar have regrown feathers faster than those who do not receive it. Which makes it the ideal supplement along with maybe some extra protein (like black sunflower seeds) to help with those scary looking moulting chickens! 

Apple cider vinegar also helps in aiding with digestive issues in chickens by helping to break down minerals and fats by assisting in the absorption of proteins, converting food more effectively and preventing sour crop.  It also lowers the pH level in the chickens’ digestive tract rendering it less welcoming to pathogens. Which in turn, creates a hostile environment for E.coli organisms as well as Coccidiosis. 

How to safely feed your chickens apples as healthy foods.

​Although chickens love a good apple, you do not want to feed chickens apple cores! The apple seeds contain small amounts of cyanide which in large amounts, can cause cyanide poisoning. In extreme cases, if a lethal dose of cyanide is given to a chicken, it can cause the chicken to die anywhere from seconds to a few minutes. Of course, this is something that takes place with larger quantities. To prevent any type of health complications, I would avoid feeding apples seeds entirely.

What you will need for the DIY fruit macrame basket.

7 – 7 foot strips of Natural Macrame Cord (I used this one here.) 1 of these 7 strips will be reserved for the end to complete the macrame fruit basket.

Scissors

“S” hook

Instructions for the DIY Fruit Macrame Basket for chickens.

Cut 7 – 7 foot long strips of the macrame cord. Reserve one strip to finish the macrame basket.

Take one of the cords and fold it in half making sure the ends are even. This is the base cord.

Take another cord and fold it in half.

Place the second cord under the base cord. Bring the ends over the base and through its own loop so that the second cord is now joined with the base cord.

Repeat this process 4 more times.

Once you have all 5 of the cords attached, place the ends of the base cord through its loop and pull the ends snuggly so that all the cords come together to form a circle. You may have to do some adjusting to help it along.

Once all the cords are forming a circle, make a knot with the base cords at the circle to secure everything in place.

Once the center is formed, take one cord from one section that is knotted together and place it with its closest neighboring cord (from the knot next to it). Place a knot joining the two cords together about an inch and a half away from the circle.

Move to the next cord and attach it with a knot to the (first) neighboring pair, an inch and a half away from the center. Repeat this until you are done knotting all the cords with their new partner.

For the second row (doing the same thing), take one cord from one section that is knotted together and place it with its closest neighboring cord from the knot next to it. Place a knot joining the two cords together about an inch and a half away from the knots formed on the previous row.

Repeat this method until you have at least 5 rows knotted. This will hold 3 apples. As you move through your 3rd and 4th row you will notice your macrame fruit hanger gathering together and taking shape! It will not lay flat!

After your fifth row of knots are complete, bring all the loose ends together and loop them around the “S” hook. Use a rubber band to hold the cords together and then, use your scissors to trim the ends so that there is only about an inch left of them and they are even. The rubber band will be removed once the chicken macrame fruit basket is finished. This will just help keep the cords together as you move through the next step.

Make a small 5 inch loop at the end of the remaining cord (the 7th cord). The frayed end of the final cord will be facing in the direction of the “S” hook, and the loop will be at the opposite end. Holding both ends in place, just under the rubber band, begin to wrap the final cord around the other cords tightly until all the frayed ends are well hidden under the last cord.

Once you are finished wrapping the the final cord, take its frayed end and place it throw its own loop. Begin to pull the end (hard) until the loop closes up and hides inside the wrapped cord.

Trim the cord and remove the rubber band. Place your cored apples in and hang your diy chicken macrame fruit basket in your chicken coop or chicken run for your chickens to enjoy!

You may also like this post for your backyard chickens! Can Chickens Eat Parsley? (DIY Chicken Herb Garden)

Learn about the 13 Health Benefits of Raw Dairy Milk Consumption!

Or learn about The Many Health Benefits Of Eggs On A Keto Diet!