Can chickens drink coffee?

[brooklynbirds18]

I know this is a very odd question but I really need it to be answered. For the past few months, my family and I have had only one chicken as a house pet due to problems with our HOA. Our bird is a Ameraucana hen and she is very sweet. She's so used to living with us she'll come in and expect to be fed all the time, lays on the couch, sits on the kitchen table, etc. When she comes in the table she will eat anything that we have which includes fruit, bagels, cereal, and most recently coffee. She dunks her head right in it but usually gets its filled with whipped cream so not much coffee is consumed but I just don't know if this should be allowed, nor does she drink a lot at one time. The whip cream we make ourselves if it makes any difference. It is very amusing and we all get a kick out of it. The coffee isn't decaf but I just need to know regardless. Her usual diet is chicken feed, yogurt, fruit (never citrus), veggies, and all the bugs she can find in the backyard. This coffee thing is just in the morning when and if it does happen. Any answers would be appreciated, thanks !

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The only problem with the coffee, in my mind, is that it is very acidic - about the same as stomach acid.
The whipped cream is probably too much sugar.
But since you're not really feeding her like a chicken, maybe those things aren't of concern to you.

 

[brooklynbirds18]

The only problem with the coffee, in my mind, is that it is very acidic - about the same as stomach acid.
The whipped cream is probably too much sugar.
But since you're not really feeding her like a chicken, maybe those things aren't of concern to you.

Since she's been a lone chicken she is very spoiled with her diet, but I can't say for sure if it has changed her as far as what she can consume. And when she drinks coffee she's fine, doesn't get hyper or anything. She's always very calm and relaxed.

 

[brooklynbirds18]

Is caffeine and/ or dairy bad for a chicken ?

 

[An Sun]

In my own experience with Coffee, it is not a cause for concern, especially if it isn't being consumed in large amounts. Have had a few instances of chicken coffee drinking, and they have never suffered any ill effects afterwards. As for dairy, as far as I know dairy is completely safe and even beneficial in terms of calcium consumption.

 

[Henrik Petersson]

Now, I don't know if coffee affects birds the same way as humans, but if so, be careful she doesn't get addicted. You don't want her to suffer from those nasty withdrawal symptoms at a later stage. Also, be mindful of her droppings; coffee is a laxative, so if her stool gets too loose, coffee may be to blame.

 

[Aacre]

Maybe you could make her very own cup of coffee and water it down so that it's very weak. Maybe she won't like that though.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Dairy isn't harmful to chickens. Sugar is though. i.e. whipped cream.

 

[brooklynbirds18]

Dairy isn't harmful to chickens. Sugar is though. i.e. whipped cream.

The whipped cream isn't too sweet, and is only used for the coffee. However, she does eat a decent amount of fruits with a lot of sugar like apples, bananas strawberries, and very occasionally blueberries. She probably eats bananas the most, about half a banana at a time, a few times a weeks, apples and strawberries are once a week, or less. We also give her a lot of veggies to balance everything out.