It's that time of the year again - at least for religiously observant Jews. This topic was discussed on BYC last time in 2011, so I think a memory refresher course would be in order.
Pesach does not only affect human nutrition, some of its rules also apply to animals as well, and especially to chickens, as they basically eat grain based feed.
The basics:
One may not eat, own or derive benefit from chametz.
Chametz (simplified for practical purposes) is any food substance made of or containing wheat, barley, rye, oats or spelt which has been leavened or come into contact with water any time.
While animals obviously don't have to keep religious commandments, feeding animals which one owns with chametz during Pesach would mean that the owner "derives benefit" from chametz and therefore is not permitted.
Grains of the five species mentioned above are in and of themselves theoretically not leavened, but a) it's impossible to rule out that they have come into contact with water before one bought the feed or during its production and b) chances are high that they will get wet or moist through water, dew, rain, condensation etc. in the coop or run. Most chicken food preparations also contain additives like brewer's yeast which is not permitted on Pesach because it's a by-product of barley fermentation in beer production.
Therefore commercial chicken food is generally not suitable for Pesach. (Exception: In Israel many feed stores and pet shops actually do sell certified chametz-free feeds for pets, including chickens, before Pesach. I don't know if there are any in the US who do that).
Where special chametz-free chicken feed is not available, it may be necessary to improvise. It's important to know that even Jews follow the custom to not eat kitniyot during Pesach are still permitted to derive benefit from kitniyot. That means that chickens can be fed rice, corn (maize), lentils, peas, and soybeans. (Rice, whole peas and soybeans should be boiled so that the chickens can digest them without problems).
Potatoes and sweet potatoes, cabbage, apples and generally all fruits and vegetables make a good addition.
For protein, cottage cheesse and spare eggs can be added.
Gefilte fish should be served to the chickens only without chrein, lol
Feeding chickens Matzah is probably not a good idea (think "constipation").
General practice in Israel is to switch animals to a chametz-free diet some time before Pesach, that way one can assume that they have found and eaten any chametz remains in their coop/run/stable/whatever housing when the time comes. A few days should be enough for that. If there are still any clearly visible chametz remains, the owner should remove them.
For those who find all this too difficult to cope with, there is the alternative option of selling one's animals/pets together with the traditional chametz sale for the duration of Pesach to someone who is not Jewish and who takes then care of them during this time. However, in that case they should be brought to the place of the person who is taking care of them - with chickens that might be a bit more problematic than, say, with a hamster...
As many chicken owners have other animals and pets as well - all this applies to other animals just as it does to chickens. Cat and dog food can't be automatically assumed to be okay for Pesach, they often contain flour.
Disclaimer: I'm not a rabbi, just a religious Jew. In cases of doubt, anyone should turn with specific questions to their rabbi.
Chag Pesach kasher ve'sameach to all!
Here are some links that deal with the topic pets & Pesach:
http://www.cor.ca/view-515-pet-food-on-passover-and-throughout-the-yearhtml.html
http://www.star-k.org/articles/articles/seasonal/375/feeding-your-pet-barking-up-the-right-tree/
http://zootorah.blogspot.co.il/2009/04/feeding-pets-on-pesach.html
http://www.aish.com/atr/Passover_Pet_Food.html
Pesach does not only affect human nutrition, some of its rules also apply to animals as well, and especially to chickens, as they basically eat grain based feed.
The basics:
One may not eat, own or derive benefit from chametz.
Chametz (simplified for practical purposes) is any food substance made of or containing wheat, barley, rye, oats or spelt which has been leavened or come into contact with water any time.
While animals obviously don't have to keep religious commandments, feeding animals which one owns with chametz during Pesach would mean that the owner "derives benefit" from chametz and therefore is not permitted.
Grains of the five species mentioned above are in and of themselves theoretically not leavened, but a) it's impossible to rule out that they have come into contact with water before one bought the feed or during its production and b) chances are high that they will get wet or moist through water, dew, rain, condensation etc. in the coop or run. Most chicken food preparations also contain additives like brewer's yeast which is not permitted on Pesach because it's a by-product of barley fermentation in beer production.
Therefore commercial chicken food is generally not suitable for Pesach. (Exception: In Israel many feed stores and pet shops actually do sell certified chametz-free feeds for pets, including chickens, before Pesach. I don't know if there are any in the US who do that).
Where special chametz-free chicken feed is not available, it may be necessary to improvise. It's important to know that even Jews follow the custom to not eat kitniyot during Pesach are still permitted to derive benefit from kitniyot. That means that chickens can be fed rice, corn (maize), lentils, peas, and soybeans. (Rice, whole peas and soybeans should be boiled so that the chickens can digest them without problems).
Potatoes and sweet potatoes, cabbage, apples and generally all fruits and vegetables make a good addition.
For protein, cottage cheesse and spare eggs can be added.
Gefilte fish should be served to the chickens only without chrein, lol
Feeding chickens Matzah is probably not a good idea (think "constipation").
General practice in Israel is to switch animals to a chametz-free diet some time before Pesach, that way one can assume that they have found and eaten any chametz remains in their coop/run/stable/whatever housing when the time comes. A few days should be enough for that. If there are still any clearly visible chametz remains, the owner should remove them.
For those who find all this too difficult to cope with, there is the alternative option of selling one's animals/pets together with the traditional chametz sale for the duration of Pesach to someone who is not Jewish and who takes then care of them during this time. However, in that case they should be brought to the place of the person who is taking care of them - with chickens that might be a bit more problematic than, say, with a hamster...
As many chicken owners have other animals and pets as well - all this applies to other animals just as it does to chickens. Cat and dog food can't be automatically assumed to be okay for Pesach, they often contain flour.
Disclaimer: I'm not a rabbi, just a religious Jew. In cases of doubt, anyone should turn with specific questions to their rabbi.
Chag Pesach kasher ve'sameach to all!
Here are some links that deal with the topic pets & Pesach:
http://www.cor.ca/view-515-pet-food-on-passover-and-throughout-the-yearhtml.html
http://www.star-k.org/articles/articles/seasonal/375/feeding-your-pet-barking-up-the-right-tree/
http://zootorah.blogspot.co.il/2009/04/feeding-pets-on-pesach.html
http://www.aish.com/atr/Passover_Pet_Food.html
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