Drunk Chickens?

Lately I’ve been pondering whether chickens can get drunk. Why? Read on . . .

Spring and summer on our new-to-us farm has been full of surprise. Flowers and trees that we did not plant continue to emerge, bloom, and sometimes even bear fruit.

Over the past few weeks our cherry tree’s branches have been weighted with fruit. The first time we went out, we spent two hours picking gallons of cherries. Afterwards the tree still looked as full as it did before we began!

We all got in on the fun.

Even Cap, our 6 month old pup, loved picking cherries. He has a unique technique.

They were a little sour for my tastes, but Cap and Moses enjoyed them.

After we accumulated 5 gallons or so, I wondered what to do with them. Jam? Juice? Pie? Freeze for later?

In any case, I decided I needed a cherry pitter for so many cherries. I ordered one from Amazon and set the buckets in a cool place until it arrived.

Unfortunately, while I waited on the cherry pitter and deliberated what to do with the cherries, they fermented! I briefly wondered if cherries could make hard cider. Then I noticed mold and decided they had to go.

So I dumped them in the chicken run. It wasn’t until the chickens had already attacked the huge mound of fermented cherries that a question occurred to me. Can chickens get drunk?

Over the next couple days, I frequently checked on the chickens watching for signs of drunkenness. This is when I realized that our chickens’ normal state is a bit suspect. Without fermented cherries, they unsteadily waddle about with a crazed look in their eyes, flapping their wings at each other, and cackling to themselves.

Perhaps chickens are always under the influence of something.

What do you think?