Will feeding peppers to your flock produce spicy eggs??

[LulaBell]

A friend of mine told me she heard somewhere that you can feed very hot peppers to your flock bc they do not have taste buds. In turn the chickens would also lay eggs that taste spicy. 🌶

I would think that feeding too many peppers over time would cause inflammation/irritation causing harm to their digestive track.

Is there truth to any of this??

 

[azygous]

That first part is true. Chickens can eat Thai peppers, (super hot) and not be affected. But that's the only true thing in the information you got.

Feeding peppers does not affect the taste off the eggs, nor will it make hens lay better or earlier in winter.

I fed hot peppers for a while as an experiment to test the crazy theories going around some ten years back, and all it did was affect the dust in the run so that I was a sneezing, dripping, sinus irritated mess whenever I had to clean the run.

If it sounds preposterous, it probably isn't true.

 

[LulaBell]

That first part is true. Chickens can eat Thai peppers, (super hot) and not be affected. But that's the only true thing in the information you got.

Feeding peppers does not affect the taste off the eggs, nor will it make hens lay better or earlier in winter.

I fed hot peppers for a while as an experiment to test the crazy theories going around some ten years back, and all it did was affect the dust in the run so that I was a sneezing, dripping, sinus irritated mess whenever I had to clean the run.

If it sounds preposterous, it probably isn't true.

Personally I thought it was a stretch, but I have thought that about other things that turned out to be true! That's why I pole the experts! Thank you for your insight

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

@azygous I wasn't aware of the fact that Capsaicin passes through the bird's digestive track without being broken down. I have fed hot peppers (jalapenos) to my ducks involuntarily (they raided the plants) and of course with the ducks wet poop i did not have such effects you described.
Makes me think of growing tons of hot peppers for the birds who then spread the hot stuff all over the place, deterring deer and ground predators…

 

[azygous]

No, I don't believe the source of my sinus distress was capsaicin laced poop. I was using conventional hanging dry feeders at the time and the chickens would beak out the feed with the peppers. It ended up in the sand bedding in the run. In winter, I enclose the run, so dust stirred up hangs in the air for a period of time. Breathe at your own risk.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Makes me think of growing tons of hot peppers for the birds who then spread the hot stuff all over the place, deterring deer and ground predators…

Omit the middle man. Grow the peppers, dehydrate them, and grind them up. Scatter them yourself so they go where you want. Then report back on your success. I use a dehydrator and split them so they dry out faster.

When I handle hot peppers I wear plastic gloves. I dehydrate in an outbuilding, no way would I do that in my house. Whooooo Wheee! When I grind I do that outside where I can stay downwind.

I tried that once to stop deer from from eating my tulips. As soon as I scattered it my dog went over and rolled in it. She loved the smell but crushed my tulips. Destroyed them. That was Habanero peppers to give an idea of the heat.

I tried that in other areas. It did not keep the deer away there either, but try it yourself to see what happens. That way you will know instead of taking some stranger's word over the internet. I really encourage you to try it. I don't necessarily trust strangers over the internet either.

You can try dehydrating and grinding them in your house too but you have been warned!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I know about the dangers of grinding hot peppers, trust me! And you are so correct about the plastic gloves! First time i was wearing latex gloves and wiped my eye later… Not pleasant at all!
That's why i liked the idea of feeding the ducks the peppers and have them poop the hot stuff all over the place, so i would not have to touch it…

 

[Kiki]

A friend of mine told me she heard somewhere that you can feed very hot peppers to your flock bc they do not have taste buds. In turn the chickens would also lay eggs that taste spicy. 🌶

I would think that feeding too many peppers over time would cause inflammation/irritation causing harm to their digestive track.

Is there truth to any of this??

No.