Chicken Treat Chart: The Best Treats for Backyard Chickens

thanks for sharing, great information!

I love these lists but I never see anyone mention tofu. My birds absolutely love it. Raw, plain tofu. They fight for it and a couple of times when I had a sick hen the only things she would eat were tofu and watermelon. In both cases they recovered.

Often my mother finds herself unsure of what my chickens can and can't eat and so this comprehensive list will no doubt be useful in the future!

My chickens actually turn up their beaks at most vegetables so having other options is always appreciated

Great list! My girls just won't eat carrots, oddly enough. Since they are somewhat lazy (spoiled) I tried shaving some. Nope. Just the greens, please! And asparagus is just gross, please don't put it in here with us, thank you!

I'm always looking for new ideas for healthy treats for our small flock. This list was really helpful. I like that there is a list of what not to feel also. I didn't know that chickens couldn't have citrus.

Thank you for taking the time to write such a good article. Our girls just love cabbage, pumpkin and watermelon.

Excellent information!! Thanks so much!

Very good article! I’ve referred to it several times.

I can never remember if our flock can have certain things. I've bookmarked this so I can check it out when I am in doubt.

Thank you for taking the time to put this together!

Great information !

Thanks for info!! I give my chickens treats all the time. Some may be wrong now that I look at ur list. I'm Pinning this for future use. Thanks Again!!

I like it - good chart of yes treats, a chart of NO treats, and some great pictures.

I just want to know - WHAT is that one thing that the chicken is looking so askance at? Some sort of crab or something? Seafood anyway - and what kind? I guess it must be ok for a chicken to eat.

thank you.very helpful, well laid out. printable chart.

My chickens are in Love with peas. They no doubt see them as a treat!

It's a great list, but perhaps foods can be added for a more comprehensive reference (and maybe in a PDF that can be printed/ posted on the fridge). If anyone else keeps a garden going... these are some chicken treats that I'd add to the list...

Our flock absolutely goes NUTS for fennel fronds! They love the tender leaves. I figured this out because I thought I bought dill, but it ended up being fennel of which I am not a huge fan of. I stuff fennel fronds and/or dill into a treat ball for them and they have a blast trying to get it out. They love fennel fronds more than mealworms!!

And HERBS! They looooooooove fresh oregano. It definitely helps keeping my oregano plants in check. I also give them parsley, celery leaves, mint and sage. The sage is apparently chicken protective from salmonella. I guess that's why there's so many sage and chicken recipes?

I saw on fresh eggs daily about feeding them garlic -- and how it's apparently also protective for health. I include 3-4 minced garlic cloves every other night -- and they love it. I know garlic and onions are in the same family... but I haven't killed them with garlic yet, which is good.

Finally -- edible flowers like squash blossoms, marigolds, candelunas, and nasturtiums! They love it when I shred some marigold flowers for them! Or I throw in a whole flower head and they play chicken keep away with it!

This is a great list of treats! My girls favorites are bananas, watermelon, cucumbers and of course, meal worms! I tried the cabbage on a string and they completely ignored it even after I tore some leaves off and tried to hand it to them. They also enjoy cooked oatmeal (with berries) on a cold day. The joke in our house is that hubby only gets a cup of coffee from me in the morning and the chickens get oatmeal. So I've told him when he starts laying eggs for me, I'll cook him a hot breakfast.

This gives great info on good and bad foods chickens can or can't have! Thank you for sharing this!

I've only been giving my chickens access to a few veggies that I knew they could handle. So thanks for broadening their choices, my hens thank you also!

Gave my chickens the leftover lobster head and legs and WOW, they did not hesitate to tear it apart. There was running and stealing and more stealing. It was the most entertaining thing to watch. I may just start splurging regularly on lobster now just so I can give the leftovers to my chickens!

Comprehensive yet straight forward and easy to understand. I've seen other lists of treats around and this one gives the best information. Thank you.