Can chickens eat coffee grounds?

Chicken.Lytle

Songster
12 Years
Oct 19, 2010
1,319
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Montgomery County, TX
I recently heard about somebody using coffee chaff (from a roasting facility) for use as bedding and soil amendment. They have coffee grounds available too.

So, can chickens eat coffee grounds?

They can eat (apparently tannin-laced) acorns, so why not? Anybody try this?

EDIT: And would they eat the grounds? Would they get hooked on morning coffee if they did???
 
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Came looking specifically to find the answer to that question. We get coffee grounds from various coffee shops and spread it across our lawn to deter gophers but they have really begun tearing up the chicken yard and I hate to keep stuffing poison deep down holes and trying to keep it covered well enough to keep the chickens out. No accidents in the 3 years I have been doing it but I just don't like poison, so I wanted to sprinkle coffee grounds. I see in many general conversations on-line (I put: chickens "coffee grounds" in Google search) people say they actually feed them to their chickens and they love them. Hoping this thread gets a little more activity so I can get a more expert opinion!
 
Thank you for this link. I am going to toss some organic coffee grounds and see what my chickens do. Have you tried it since your post last year? What was the reaction? yay or nay?
 
Lol I found some better uses for them than tossing on the ground...
http://lifehackery.com/2008/08/21/home-7/

Mine get an option of them, they're all over in the compost, but I haven't ever noticed them actually LIKING them...

As far as the caffeine content etc... Yeah there's still caffeine, but I'm not sure chickens process it the same as we do, and it might actually HELP with deterring parasites or maybe help aid digestion..

Hmm never thought much about the coffee... I might have to experiment a little here ;)
 
I have a fenced area (20x10) for my chickens. I usually spread about three to four bags of leaves every month znd a big garbage bag of coffee grounds. They spread the leaves and the grounds and compost it for me. Been doing this for sevan months, and my chickens seem to like it. The coffee grounds seem to absorb any foul smell i might get from their droppings
 
I think chaff as bedding would be interesting... I personally like the sand the most. Chaff is so light, you would need a lot and I think it would be pretty messy especially in the feeders and waters. I can't imagine that it is very absorbent so you might be looking at changing often. As a long time coffee shop employee and roaster I can tell you that chaff is real annoying, sticks to you and everything around you, but it's great compost. I wouldn't do it in the coop. . . The 50lb bags of washed sand are $3.50 at home depot. I needed 4 for my coop... I scoop the droppings out with a kitty litter scoop. It's pretty awesome.

I have never given chickens coffee grounds... but I know that they have had access to them through the compost pile. What would be the purpose? I agree with Shortgrass I have lots of uses for the coffee grounds. They can help unclog a drain and most of my plants get a little spent coffee ground water here and there.
 
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