What your chickens can and can't eat!

[SiDaStuff]

Did you read any of these?

https://chipperbirds.com/what-happens-when-birds-eat-rice/

https://chipperbirds.com/what-happens-when-birds-eat-rice/

https://birdhour.com/what-happens-when-a-bird-eats-rice/

https://www.thayerbirding.com/do-birds-explode-when-they-eat-rice/
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Sorry now

 

[puddle_drinker]

Where is the owner's manual they need to read to learn that they are supposed to catch and eat mice?

I started mine by feeding them 8 live baby mice that I found in a nest in an old bee hive.

 

[puddle_drinker]

Me too.

But sometimes you just have to throw a big piece out and watch the chasing begin!

 

[puddle_drinker]

I follow the basic principle of "toss it in the chicken run, let them decide."

The chickens do generally seem to know what they should or should not eat. I have three 8 foot pokeberry plants in my chicken run and if the chickens eat the berries at all they only eat one, even if there are several on the ground in front of them.

 

[Chikenshiken]

The chickens do generally seem to know what they should or should not eat. I have three 8 foot pokeberry plants in my chicken run and if the chickens eat the berries at all they only eat one, even if there are several on the ground in front of them.

I think my chickens might be really dumb because the onetime I decided to grow tomato plants they would not stop trying to snack on the leaves LOL

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I truly believe that chickens won't eat what they shouldn't. Otherwise they'd be extinct already. I don't think they need us to do their thinking for them.

 

[Jenbirdee]

thanks this is great!

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Food	Yes/No
Acorn Squash, fruit, skins and seeds	Yes
Alfalfa	Yes
Almonds	Yes
Almond Butter	Yes
Amaranth, raw	No, Raw amaranth contains growth depressing antinutrients
Amaranth, cooked or extruded	Yes
Ant	Yes, Typically chickens won’t eat ants. Be sure no pesticides were used on any colony
Apple	Yes
Apple, seeds	No, Contain cyanide

Banana	Yes
Banana, skin or peel	Yes
Basil	Yes	Benefits the immune system
Bean Sprouts	Yes
Beans	Yes	ONLY cooked beans, never dry
Beet, leaves/leafs/greens	Yes
Beets	Yes
Bell Pepper	Yes
Bird Seed	Yes

Edamame	Yes	do NOT feed uncooked soy
Egg shell	Yes	Great source of calcium
Egg, boiled/scrambled/cooked	Yes	Only feed cooked eggs, so they don’t start eating their own eggs
Eggplant	Maybe?	Much debate on whether raw eggplant is safe for chickens, as it is in the nightshade family. Cooked is safe for chickens
Eggplant, leaves	NO	Contains Solanine
Eggs	Yes	Cooked only, to prevent encouraging egg eating

Fish	Yes
Flax seed	Yes
French Fries	No	Salty/fatty foods are unhealthy

Green beans	Yes
Green peppers	Yes
Grits	Yes

Ham	Yes	In moderation due to salt content
Honey	Yes
Honeydew	Yes

Kale	MAYBE
Kidney beans	Yes	MUST be cooked
Kiwi	Yes

Lemon	In moderation
Lettuce	Yes

Maggots	No	Risk of botulism
Mango	Yes
Mealworms	Yes	Save money by raising your own
Meat scraps	Yes	Avoid fat, only feed cooked scraps, and only in moderation
Mice	Yes	My chickens love them!
Minnows	Yes
Mushrooms, store bought	Yes
Mushrooms, wild	No	Potentially toxic

Nightcrawlers	Yes
Nuts	Yes	Only shelled and unsalted

Oatmeal	Yes
Oatmeal, uncooked	Yes
Oats	Yes
Okra	Yes
Olives	Yes	Limit cured olives due to salt
Onion	No	Can flavor eggs in smaller quantities. In larger amounts, can cause anemia
Orange	Yes
Orange peels	Yes
Oregano	Yes	Excellent for immune health & as a water additive

Papaya	Yes
Pasta	Yes	Feed in moderation, as it contains nearly no nutritional value
Peaches	Yes	Remove pit
Peanut Butter	Yes
Peanuts	Yes
Pears	Yes
Peas	Yes
Pecans	Yes	Only shelled and unsalted
Pepper seed	Yes
Peppers	Yes
Pickles	Yes	Limit due to salt
Pineapple	Yes
Plum	Yes	Remove pit
Pomegranate	Yes
Popcorn, popped	Yes	Unsalted, unbuttered only
Popcorn, unpopped	Yes
Porridge	Yes
Potato, cooked or mashed	Yes
Potato, peel	No	Contains Solanine
Potato, raw	No	Contains Solanine
Potato, sprouted	No	Contains Solanine
Pumpkin	Yes
Pumpkin, Seeds	Yes

Quinoa

Yes

Only washed or cooked, as raw contains saponins unpalatable to poultry

Radishes, and greens	Yes
Raisins	Yes
Raspberries	Yes
Raw chicken	No	Risk of salmonella
Rhubarb	No	Contains some oxalic acid
Rhubarb, leaf	NO!	Highly toxic, contains oxalic acid
Rice	Yes	Cooked only
Rice, brown	Yes	Cooked only
Rice, cooked	Yes
Rice, uncooked	No
Rodents	Yes	Chickens naturally eat rodents. It is a good idea to keep poisons out of the area so chickens do not eat a poisoned mouse, leading to the bird being poisoned

Scrambled Eggs	Yes
Seaweed	Yes
Shrimp, meat and shell	Yes
Snails	Yes	Can carry gapeworm
Spinach	Yes
Squash	Yes
Strawberries	Yes
String beans	Yes
Sunflower Seeds	Yes	Great for molting birds
Sweet Potato	Yes

Tomato, ripe fruit	Yes
Tomato, leaf or green fruit	No	Contains Solanine
Turkey Carcass	Yes	Cooked only

Walnuts	Yes	Only shelled and unsalted
Watermelon	Yes
Watermelon, rind	Yes
Wheat	Yes
Wheat Berries	Yes

Xylitol

No

Yam	Yes
Yogurt	Yes	Feed in moderation as chickens cannot digest milk. Good for probiotics

Zucchini

Yes

Excellent post @PMD PerformanceHorses! Thanks so much for posting this!

A few things: I've given my birds kale before, and it was fine. A lot of people question if bread is safe for chickens. I say it is, as long as it's not moldy and is fed in moderation (like most treats).
Lastly, meat scrapes: I've given my birds plenty of RAW meat scrapes. Their favorite meat scrapes is deer carcass. (A lot of people feed their chickens this.) I've given them the whole rib cage, bones, and even unwanted scraps. The ribs and bones are VERY entertaining for the chickens as they'll work on it for a few days.
The latest thing I've been giving my chickens for meat scrapes is liver and heart. I cut it up small so it's easier for them to eat (especially after it freezes on them), and it provides added protein and iron in their diet. They absolutely love it and usually has a plateful gone within a day.

 

[Chikenshiken]

Excellent post @PMD PerformanceHorses! Thanks so much for posting this!

A few things: I've given my birds kale before, and it was fine. A lot of people question if bread is safe for chickens. I say it is, as long as it's not moldy and is fed in moderation (like most treats).
Lastly, meat scrapes: I've given my birds plenty of RAW meat scrapes. Their favorite meat scrapes is deer carcass. (A lot of people feed their chickens this.) I've given them the whole rib cage, bones, and even unwanted scraps. The ribs and bones are VERY entertaining for the chickens as they'll work on it for a few days.
The latest thing I've been giving my chickens for meat scrapes is liver and heart. I cut it up small so it's easier for them to eat (especially after it freezes on them), and it provides added protein and iron in their diet. They absolutely love it and usually has a plateful gone within a day.

I’m a firm believer that meat is such an important part of a chickens diet, in the end they are omnivores for a reason . I think most people are swayed against feeding their chicken meat because it’s “weird” but they probably eat a lot of critters we don’t even see

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I’m a firm believer that meat is such an important part of a chickens diet, in the end they are omnivores for a reason . I think most people are swayed against feeding their chicken meat because it’s “weird” but they probably eat a lot of critters we don’t even see

They eat bugs, don't they?