Are Hot Peppers Safe for Chickens?

[HoustonChicks]

I'm trying to grow hot peppers. My chickens range the yard and I have to keep a lot of my plants out of pecking distance by caging plants with chicken wire, setting them up high, etc. The pepper plants are supposed to produce the hottest peppers in the world, based on the Scovel Heat Unit measurement (yes, they measure pepper heat). I have Bhut Jolukia ("Ghost Pepper") and a new, hotter one, Moruga Scorpion. I'm concerned about my chickens pecking at red peppers if the plants grow successfully. I try to keep my plants out of reach, but you know how inventive they can be. If these plants produce the fireballs, would it be a danger to the chickens the same way I've seen in Google videos that humans react to these super-super hot peppers? I value my chickens too much to wait and see. By the way, I can't stand spicy food; I want to grow them only because they're rare and weird and I found the plants at my feed store!

 

[Habibs Hens]

as far as im aware chicken have less taste buds then humans and chillies don't effect them


well at least what I have seen as a few chillies sneak past when I give mine veggies and they are ok

 

[Carol_af]

Yes, hot peppers are fine for poultry.
Capsaicin is the active ingredient in chilies that produces the heat and while mammals are susceptible to it, birds are not. Consequently, it does them no harm whatsoever.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

You might want to protect the pepper fruit though. Mine never show any interest in green peppers, but sometimes they go for the red, ripe ones. Won't hurt them, In fact they are quite nutritious, but it means they'll get the peppers and you won't.

 

[ShanCarl1971]

The reason birds aren't bothered by the heat is because they have no saliva. Like when you get hot peppers on your hands.....it doesn't bother your hands because they are dry, but boy does it burn when you rub your eye...that's wet!!! It takes the body fluids to activate the heat.

 

[babsterh]

I use red flaked peppers in our bird feeder to keep the squirrels off...this works like a charm! Doesn't bother the birds but the squirrels hate it!

 

[SunnySideUpFarm]

ive been told that hot peppers will naturally de-worm chickens.....

 

[donrae]

The reason birds aren't bothered by the heat is because they have no saliva. Like when you get hot peppers on your hands.....it doesn't bother your hands because they are dry, but boy does it burn when you rub your eye...that's wet!!! It takes the body fluids to activate the heat.

Well this isn't exactly true. It's contact with a mucous membrane, not the saliva itself. My husband genetically has no salivary glands, thus no saliva, but he sure feels the heat of peppers!