What your chickens can and can’t eat! | BackYard Chickens

What your chickens can and can’t eat! | BackYard Chickens

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

 

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