By Roberta Culbertson (i.e., Chicken Lady)
To all of you Farmcolony folks inclined to feed our chickens, feeding is welcomed, but it is important to know what to feed or not to feed our chickens to keep them healthy and happy. Chickens love variety in their diets, but, like us, some foods make them happier than others. To keep our chickens happy, here is a list of what you can and should NOT feed the chickens from a reliable chicken website called “Backyard Chickens.”
Most importantly, do not give chickens spoiled food or stuff listed below under “DO NOT FEED CHICKENS”
See you down at the coop.
Love,
The Chickens and their Human Colleagues
Y’ALL DON’T BE STRANGERS NOW! BAW
P.S. If you give us chicks some fresh water, please don’t forget to turn off the pump. We had a flood the other day. BAW
DO FEED CHICKENS
- Apples Raw and applesauce
Apple seeds contain cyanide, but not in sufficient quantities to kill
- Asparagus
Raw or cooked
Okay to feed, but not a favorite
- Bananas
Without the peel
High in potassium, a good treat
- Beans
Well-cooked only, never dry
- Beets
- Greens
- Berries
All kinds
A treat, especially strawberries
- Breads
All kinds – good use for stale bread or rolls
Feed starches in moderation
- Broccoli & Cauliflower
- Cabbage
Hang a whole cabbage from their coop ceiling in winter so they have something to play with and greens to eat
- Carrots
Raw and cooked
They like carrot foliage, too
- Catfood
Wet and dry
Feed in strict moderation, perhaps only during molting
- Cereal
Cheerios, etc.
Avoid highly sugared cereal such as Cocopuffs, etc.
- Cheese
Including cottage cheese
Feed in moderation, fatty but a good source of protein and calcium
- Cooked Chicken
They may like it and it won’t kill them, but it just seems so….. ummm………… wrong
- Corn
On cob and canned, raw and cooked
- Crickets (alive)
Can be bought at bait or pet-supply stores
Great treat – provides protein and it’s fun to watch the chickens catch them
- Cucumbers
Let mature for yummy seeds and flesh
- Eggs
Hard cooked and scrambled are a good source of protein, and a favorite treat
Feed cooked eggs only because you don’t want your chickens to start eating their own raw eggs
- Eggplant
- Flowers
Make sure they haven’t been treated with pesticides, such as florist flowers might be. Marigolds, nasturtiums, pansies, etc.
- Fruit
Pears, peaches, cherries, apples
- Grains
Bulgar, flax, niger, wheatberries, etc.
- Grapes
Seedless only
For chicks, cutting them in half makes it easier for them to swallow
Great fun – the cause of many entertaining “chicken keepaway” games
- Grits
Cooked
- “Leftovers”
Only feed your chickens that which is still considered edible by humans, don’t feed anything spoiled, moldy, oily, salty or unidentifiable
- Lettuce / Kale
Any leafy greens, spinach collards, chickweed included
A big treat, depending on how much other greenery they have access to
- Mealworms
Available at pet supply stores or on the internet, although shipping is expensive!
A huge(!) favorite treat, probably the most foolproof treat on the books
- Meat
Scraps of any kind
Not too fatty
In moderation, a good source of protein
- Melon
- Cantaloupe, etc.
Both seeds and flesh are good chicken treats
- Oatmeal
Raw or cooked
Cooked is nutritionally better
- Pasta / Macaroni
Cooked spaghetti, etc.
A favorite treat, fun to watch them eat it, but not much nutrition
- Peas
Peas and pea tendrils and flowers (thanks to YayChick for the advice)
- Peppers
Bell
- Pomegranates
Raw
Seeds are a big treat
- Popcorn
Popped, no butter, no salt
- Potatos / Sweet Potatos/Yams
Cooked only – avoid green parts of peels!
Starchy, not much nutrition
- Pumpkins / Winter Squash
Raw or cooked
Both seeds and flesh are a nutritious treat
- Raisins
- Rice
Cooked only
Pilaf mixes are okay too, plain white rice has little nutrition
- Scratch
Scratch is cracked corn with grains (such as wheat, oats and rye) mixed in
Scratch is a treat for cold weather, not a complete feed
Toss it on the ground and let them scratch for it for something to do
- Sprouts
Wheat and oat sprouts are great!
Good for greens in mid-winter
- Summer Squash
Yellow squash and zucchini
Yellow squash not a huge favorite, but okay to feed
- Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower seeds with the shell still on is fine to feed, as well as with the shell off
A good treat, helps hens lay eggs and grow healthy feathers
- Tomatoes
Raw and cooked
- Turnips
Cooked
Not a huge favorite
- Watermelon
Served cold, it can keep chickens cool and hydrated during hot summers
Seeds and flesh are both okay to feed
- Yogurt
Plain or flavored
A big favorite and good for their digestive systems.
Plain is better
DO NOT FEED CHICKENS
- Green Potato Peels
Toxic substance called Solanine
- Anything Real Salty
Can cause salt poisoning in small bodies such as chickens
- Citrus
- Dried or undercooked Beans
Raw, or dry beans, contain a poison called hemaglutin which is toxic to birds
- Avocado Skin and Pit
Skin and pit have low levels of toxicity
- Raw Eggs
You don’t want to introduce your chickens to the tastiness of eggs which may be waiting to be collected in the nestboxes
- Candy, Chocolate, Sugar
Their teeth will rot… No, it’s just bad for their systems, and chocolate can be poisonous to most pets
