Pears have a lot of nutritional value.
They are almost as good as apples, but can they provide nutrition to chickens?
Is it advisable to feed chickens with pears?
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To answer these questions, we need to understand the nutritional value of pears and chickens’ nutritional requirements.
Nutritional value of pears
What is the composition of a pear?
A surprising fact about pears is that they are 84% water.
Apart from water, which makes up their bulk, pears also have carbohydrates, which make up 15%.
It is easy to see that little room exists for other nutrients.
Do pears contain minerals and vitamins?
Despite this predominance of carbohydrates, pears do contain a large number of vitamins and minerals, including vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, C, E, and K.
Besides, minerals including calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, iron, phosphorous, sodium and zinc, are also present.
Thus, pears offer a variety of minerals and vitamins, although in limited quantities.
What about other nutrients?
The large percentage of carbohydrates makes them a good source of dietary fiber.
Besides, they also contain proteins and fat in small quantities.
Pears also contain 9.7% sugar, which is only slightly less than the sugar content of apples.
What are the factors that influence the nutritional content of pears?
Variety matters
There is no single rule applicable to all varieties of pears.
More than 3,000 varieties of pears are available all over the world.
With such variety, there is bound to be a considerable amount of variation in characteristics and quality.
What other factors influence nutritional content?
Apart from the variety or type, other factors also influence the nutritional content and value of pears.
For example, ripeness can add value and increase some of the nutrients.
What are the best ways to store pears?
How pears are stored can affect their preservation and ripening characteristics.
For example, by placing pears next to a banana in a fruit bowl, you can hasten its ripening.
Refrigeration helps in preserving it for a longer time.
What are the nutritional requirements of chickens?
Chickens are small birds that have modest nutritional needs.
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They get most of these from carbohydrates.
Chickens need only small quantities of vitamins and minerals.
To what extent will pears meet the nutritional requirements of chickens?
The limited quantities of vitamins and minerals available in pears should, therefore, be able to meet the requirements of chickens to a great extent.
Are there any specific advantages in feeding chickens with pears?
Pears can be considered as a nutritional supplement for chickens.
Chickens can eat pears when they are unable to eat heavy food.
They are good for health and easy on digestion.
What is the best way to serve pears to chicken?
Good as they might be, pears will be of use to chicken only if one can think of attractive ways of serving the fruit.
The best way to serve them is to shake them off the trees directly.
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That will be possible, of course, only if you can access such trees.
Will that be hygienic?
Chicken would love to feast on the fresh fruits that fall from the trees.
Unlike humans, they do not mind the presence of worms in their fruits.
Worms are additional sources of nutrition for them.
Shaking the fruits directly off the trees is a good idea in other ways too.
They can fertilize the earth.
What are the alternate methods?
For people who do not have a pear tree in their garden, there are other ways.
They can be added as salads.
The fruits might contain small cyanide quantities that could prove fatal to the chickens in the long run.
It is best to wash the fruits well before feeding them to the chickens.
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Take care to remove the seeds.
Are pears a substitute for regular chicken feed?
Pears should only be used as a supplement and not the leading food, which might create digestive problems.
Pears contain vital nutrients in small quantities.
You can use them as supplements.
Use them in moderation and never as a substitute for the leading food.
Conclusion
Pears contain several minerals and vitamins.
The quantities are limited but are enough for the nutritional requirements of chickens.
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They should be used as supplements rather than substitutes for regular food.
Use pears in limited quantities and make them attractive to chicken.
