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Can Geese Eat Apples?

By: Author April Lee

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Like most fowl, geese are omnivores. They eat both plant and animal matter, albeit in varying proportions. Geese eat grains, greens, fruits, insects, and seeds. But just because they are willing to eat a particular food does not mean that the food is safe or beneficial to them.

Can geese eat apples?

Apples are safe for geese to eat. Apples are a great source of energy for geese, and they could come in handy during seasons when geese have to maintain body heat.

group of Geese on the farm

Although geese can eat apples, not every part of an apple is beneficial to them. Also, some breeds of geese might have a tough time eating an apple, especially when the fruit is hard.

Understanding how apples can help or hinder geese is important before offering them up as a treat. Let’s take a look at apples (and other fruits) that you can give geese to snack on.

Can Geese Eat Apples?

Apples are one of the two most popular fruits birds eat, and geese like eating them. While most breeds can eat apples with ease, some breeds might find it hard to eat some types of apples.

If you are planning to feed apples to your geese, you can make the snack easier and safer to eat by chopping the apple into smaller pieces. You can also mash the apples to make them softer or cook them.

However, not every part of an apple is beneficial to geese. Let’s explore the forms, types, and parts of apples that you should consider when feeding apples to geese.

Whole Apples

Geese will nibble at whole apples and can eat them. But the issue with giving geese whole apples is that they can choke from eating it.

This is especially true if the geese try to swallow their apples at once or if they are not able to break the fruit into smaller pieces themselves.

Their slender throats are not easy paths for whole apples.

man holding three whole red apples

Besides the risk of choking, whole apples are harder to break down in their stomach. Large pieces can take a longer time for geese to digest.

Instead of giving your geese whole apples, chop the apples into bite-sized pieces.

Apple Peels

Geese can eat apple peels without issues, especially if they are thinly cut.

Apple peels are actually beneficial to a goose’s digestive system. About 66% of an apple’s fiber content is found in the peel.

Fiber promotes the mixing and digestion of other nutrients in a goose’s stomach, and it promotes gut movement. Soluble fiber also serves as a source of energy following fermentation in the cecum.

Apple Seeds

You should not give apple seeds or pieces of apple containing seeds to your geese.

Apple seeds contain cyanide, a substance that is very poisonous when ingested by geese. When consumed, cyanide blocks certain processes that facilitate respiration. This could cause symptoms like nausea, dizziness, and death.

In many cases, people core apples to remove the seeds before giving them to their geese.

Raw Apples

Geese can eat raw apples. Relative to cooked apples, raw apples can have a higher amount of vitamin C.

One drawback of raw apples is that they are harder than cooked ones. Since they are harder, some geese breeds might find them hard to eat.

The Canada goose is said to have a hard time eating hard Bramley apples floating on water. However, this same breed was able to eat softer apples without a problem.

windfall apples apple trees

Windfall Apples

Geese can eat windfall apples, but whether they are safe largely depends on the conditions of the particular apples.

Apples fall from trees for various reasons. They commonly fall because of high winds. But they can also fall when they are infested, diseased, or not formed properly.

Before giving your geese windfall apples, examine them to be sure they are not infested, malformed, or diseased. If the apples are in poor condition, do not give them to your geese.

If the apples appear clean and healthy, check to ensure they are also ripe. Apples can fall from the tree before they are fully ripened. If they are unripe, do not feed them to your geese.

Windfall apples that are ripe and free of imperfections can be passed along to your geese as a snack.

Cooked Apples

Cooked apples are great for geese. They are soft, easy to nibble on, and easy to digest. Cooked apples are also support proper gut health in geese.

Relative to raw apples, cooked apples contain higher levels of a type of fiber called pectin. Pectin has been shown to promote gut healing in animals. A study showed that pectin helps to reduce inflammation, to modulate bacteria, and to remove toxic substances in the gut.

Pectin may also help reduce intestinal transit time and moisture in fecal matter. At the same time, it may promote intestinal viscosity and energy utilization in the gut.

Fresh assorted fruits and berries

13 Fruits Geese Love to Eat

Apples aren’t the only fruit treats safe to give to geese. If you’re wondering what other options are available, here are 13 fruits geese love to eat:

  • Watermelon
  • Pumpkin
  • Raspberry
  • Cherry
  • Grape
  • Banana
  • Cantaloupe
  • Orange
  • Plum
  • Strawberry
  • Blackberry
  • Blueberry
  • Pear

Final Thoughts

Giving your geese apple treats will make them happy and can help their gut health. But make sure you remove the seeds before feeding apples to your geese. You may also want to cut the apples into bite-sized pieces for easier swallowing and digestion.

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