Apples are a great source of vitamins for many animals and, in some areas are prolific and a great, free food choice for many creatures.
Turkeys love eating apples and, due to their greedy nature will happily devour this fruit. If you are raising turkeys then giving them apples can be a great choice and you can offer them crab apples, cooking apples and eating apples, they will happily eat them all.
Benefits of feeding apples to your turkeys
Not only are apples widely available they are also an excellent source of nutrients that will help your turkeys to develop robust immune systems and strength.
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, one medium sized apple contains:
- Insoluble and soluble fibre
- Vitamin C
- 95 calories
- 0 grams of fat
- 1 gram of protein
- 25 grams of carbohydrate
- 19 grams of sugar
- 3 gram of fibre
Feeding apples to your turkeys can help with the development and maintenance of their cardiovascular health and that they can reduce cholesterol levels.
Can turkeys eat apple seeds?
Although the flesh of apples is a good food for your turkeys, the seeds are not and can present health risks to your birds.
Apple seeds contain trace amounts of cyanide which, if fed in sufficient amounts could lead to serious illness or even death of your turkeys.
Make sure that you core and remove any seeds from apples that you feed to your turkeys.
Will turkeys eat cooked apples?
From my experience turkeys will eat almost anything and if you have a surplus of cooked apples then turkeys will certainly eat them.
Make sure that they are not sweetened and that you have not added anything to them.
If you do choose to feed cooked apples to your turkeys then you can mix them up with other forms of fruit or other foods that are suitable such as bread or rice to bulk up the meal.
- Feed for Young Poults
- High Protein, High Energy to Meet Demanding Growth Needs
- Good Source of Protein and Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- Probiotics Aid Digestion
Can turkey chicks eat apples?
Turkeys grow quickly and need a good quality food source that provides them with all of the nutrients that they need for development.
Turkey chicks need looking after carefully and, as well as protection from the cold and damp, they will need feeding correctly.
There is nothing wrong with feeding apples to baby turkeys but it is unlikely that they will eat much apple and your should stick to feeding appropriate turkey feed.
When they reach an older age theiir diets will become more diverse as they become stronger and more resilient.
To sum up – Do turkeys eat apples?
Turkeys do eat apples and this fruit is a great treat for your turkeys.
You should make sure that you only feed the flesh of the apples to your birds and throw away the seeds and core which can contain things that are unhealth for turkeys.
Always make sure that your turkeys have suitable feed and use apples as an extra to their meals.