Is dairy bad for chickens?

[Bak-Bak]

I have seen in a lot of places about feeding chickens yogurt and cheese as a treat and since I also keep parrots and parrot are lactose intolerant.. is it bad for chickens? I just want to be really sure whether it's bad for them or not. Also I'm new to chicken keeping and only have one pullet.
Thanks in advance..

 

[silkie10]

I'm not sure. . . but I've been doing it for years and none have died because of it so I'm assuming no. . .

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I don't think so. I give my hens cottage cheese occasionally for a protein/calcium boost and they gobble it up.

 

[Amer]

I don't think chickens are lactose intolerant because mine don't seem to be bothered by dairy.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I don't feed dairy to my Chickens, so I Googled it. According to this web site, you should limit it.

GC

 

[Amer]

I don't feed dairy to my Chickens, so I Googled it. According to this web site, you should limit it.View attachment 1764063 GC

That makes sense. If I give it to them, it's in small amounts, so I didn't notice the effect.

 

[Bak-Bak]

Thank you all for the replies!
The main reason I asked was because I think my pullet has sour crop and I saw on a website that giving plain yogurt can help with that.

 

[Compost King]

If I have heavy whipping cream I use for coffee in abundance and want to get rid of it before it spoils I will soak scratch grains in it and feed it to a Cockerel I plan to kill in the next week or 2. Dairy makes them lethargic and leads to more tender meat. The Scratch Grains lead to an increase in fat/flavor in the meat. Its not often that I have a surplus of this and the price to feed it to a cockerel for slightly more tender meat isn't justified so I have only done this once.

 

[Serin]

Cheeses don't have as much lactose as straight milk and can, in moderation, be eaten by parrots too. Ultimately, all birds are lactose-intolerant though - milk is something only baby mammals and some adult people are able to fully digest and is not a natural component of any birds' diet.

 

[Fairview01]

I provide calf replacer for my chicks while they are in the brooder in lieu of water. As previously stated poultry evolved without the ability to digest lactose.

Adding this converts the lactose to glucose which they can digest. I add 3 crushed tablets to a gallon of calf replacer and let set overnight.

Gotta think outside the box sometimes.