Should I Give Yogurt to My Chickens? Nope. — Randy’s Chicken Blog
Carlos Warren writing at First Light Farmer states that “The simple answer…is yes, you can feed yogurt to your chickens. Yogurt is power-packed with nutrition. It contains proteins, healthy good bacteria, probiotics, calcium, and lots more. Humans are recommended to eat yogurt daily. But, when it comes to poultry, you need to exercise some moderation.”
Over at The Happy Chicken Coop, Chin Lapingcao suggests that “it is a controversial topic. It’s safe to say that yogurt offers health benefits to your chickens because of its probiotics and other nutrients like vitamin D. However, know that yogurt is a fermented milk product, and chickens are quite lactose-intolerant. Still, this shouldn’t be a reason not to give them yogurt.”
Lisa Steele, at Fresh Eggs Daily declares that “chickens love yogurt, and I will give my flock the occasional bit of plain unflavored yogurt as a treat, however, excessive amounts of dairy products can cause diarrhea in poultry. Their bodies aren’t designed to digest the milk sugars found in dairy, so for this reason, probiotic powder specifically designed for poultry is a far superior choice to introduce good bacteria into their diet.”
Kathy Shea Mormino, aka The Chicken Chick suggests that “what many chicken-keepers do not know is that chickens are not equipped to digest most dairy products and would be better served by ingesting the beneficial bacterial cultures alone…Feeding chickens a little yogurt occasionally is fine, but too much dairy can cause digestive upset and diarrhea.”
Andy Scheider, aka The Chicken Whisperer exclaims, “Give your chickens yogurt? Why? First, it’s scientific fact that chickens do not have the necessary enzymes in their gut to properly digest dairy. Too much can and will give them diarrhea. So, why are you giving your chickens yogurt? You want them to benefit from probiotics…? You are wasting your time. There is not enough in store bought yogurt to have any benefit for your chickens. However, there is plenty of bad things in there like sugar, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, and artificial colors.”
Toni Benton writing for Somerzby Newsletter doesn’t recommend feeding dairy, including milk, cheese and yogurt, to chickens. “Chickens tend to be lactose intolerant, which means their bodies have difficulty digesting lactose, a sugar present in milk and dairy products… While dairy products can be high in protein and calcium, they are not suitable for chickens to consume. Eating dairy can lead to digestive issues, bloating, and even death in severe cases.”