What does a chicken eat? Anyone who has ever kept chickens knows that they will eat practically anything. If you breed chickens, you know how much they like treats and leftovers in addition to their regular food. Yes, you can feed your chickens leftover food. However, table scraps should not be a large part of their menu, only 10-15% of the feed. It is also important to know what is and is not good for the birds. After all, some products can pose a serious threat to birds, causing poisoning and even death. What shouldn’t chickens eat? Find out from this post! Below we have compiled an extensive list of foods that are harmful to your birds.
What shouldn’t chickens eat: Chocolate
Can chickens eat chocolate? Don’t give chocolate to your chickens because it causes heart problems in birds, ranging from an irregular heartbeat to complete cardiac arrest. Death occurs within 24 hours of eating the chocolate.
The pit and skin of avocados are poisonous
What can chickens eat and what not? The pit and skin of an avocado contain persin, which can be very toxic to birds. In high doses, persin causes heart problems in the birds, followed by respiratory problems. It can cause death in less than 48 hours.
Green potatoes are dangerous to birds
What is poisonous to chickens? Do not feed your chickens green and sprouted potatoes. Green potatoes contain solanine and chaconine—other toxic substances found in the skin, pulp, and sprouts. These toxins lead to drowsiness, paralysis, and eventually death. The same goes for green tomatoes and you shouldn’t give them to your chickens.
Dry beans cause serious diseases
What should chickens absolutely not eat? Cooked beans are fine to feed your chickens, but any bean that hasn’t been properly cooked is potentially fatal to chickens. Raw beans contain a toxin called phytohemagglutinin, which is always fatal to poultry. The disease occurs after eating as little as three or four beans, and death can occur within an hour. Dried beans contain haemagglutinin, which can cause serious illness and even death in humans.
Can chickens eat onions?
Onions are poisonous to chickens. Signs of onion poisoning in birds include diarrhea, loss of appetite, listlessness, pallor, difficulty breathing. Whether onions are raw or cooked, poisoning can occur if a chicken eats many onions at once or small amounts over a long period of time.
Eat chicken meat
Meat trimmings are perfectly fine for your chickens as long as they don’t contain too much fat or preservatives. But note that you shouldn’t give raw meat to your chickens as it carries the risk of salmonella and other harmful bacteria.
Moldy or spoiled feed is bad for chickens
Overripe food is fine for birds, but if it’s spoiled, don’t feed it to your birds. There are also beneficial molds, but molds that grow on soft fruit produce toxins and it is not possible to tell which molds are good and which are toxic. Aspergillus flavus, the mold that grows on nuts, corn, and apples, is known to produce a toxin called aflatoxin that causes liver cancer in humans and animals.
Do not give the birds products with a high salt content
Salt in moderation is good for the growth and development of your chicken. But avoid excessive amounts of salt, because feeding your chickens products that are too high in salt can cause the eggshells to deform over time.
Can chickens eat peppers?
You can feed your chickens peppers. Although vegetables are fine for chickens, don’t give them the leaves, flowers, stems, and branches of pepper plants. The leaves, stems and flowers are poisonous – they contain solanine.
Are fruit pits good for chickens?
Chickens love to eat fruit, but you should not feed fruit pits to birds as they contain amygdalin. When the core is consumed, it turns into hydrocyanic acid, and hydrocyanic acid is a toxic substance that is dangerous to animals and humans.
What shouldn’t chickens eat: bread
Many people feed their chickens bread, but it is not good for them at all. What are the disadvantages? Bread can get stuck in the bird’s crop. In addition, a high carbohydrate diet would lead to excessive defecation.
These garden plants are poisonous to birds
There are many garden plants that are poisonous to your chickens. Because they don’t taste good, your birds would normally stay away from them, but it can be wise to make sure they don’t have access to these plants. Below is a list of garden plants that are poisonous to chickens.
- Bloodroot
- Fernkraut
- daisy
- field horsetail
- castor bean
- goosegrass
- Curled dock
- Rittersporn
- thimble
- wild ivy
- hemlock
- Horse chestnut
- horseradish
- Hyacinth
- hydrangea
- Goldregen
- Lantana
- lily of the valley
- nightshade
- Rhododendron
- Johannis herbs
- Tulips
- water hemlock
- yew