Can chickens eat chocolate?

[Peppercorngal]

Eh...too much bad info on the net, so can't give it much weight without knowing the actual source, and the full quote/context.



Thankfully they cannot be labelled as such. Because it cannot be called "chocolate" unless conforming to certain standards, the consumer is not mislead by the same term for a different product.



Wonder if this has to do with the supply of chocolate. It is an agricultural crop, often grown in unstable (politically) areas. Not sure if there are any crop viruses/illnesses affecting the cocoa trees either. If so, then that may be why they are trying to lobby so they can call it "chocolate".

I don't know about his label stuff. Why are Almond juice products allowed to advertise as "Almond Milk"???? It's got nothing to do with milk. For some reason there is a big push to get rid of real animal products, thus all the almond milks, the impossible burgers, etc. I don't go for it. I think it's a deception created to deflect the fact that Greenhouse Gas is primarily from our transportation habits (30%). Agriculture is only 10% of the total. I'll shut up now. Sorry. . . .☹

 

[Acre4Me]

I don't know about his label stuff. Why are Almond juice products allowed to advertise as "Almond Milk"???? It's got nothing to do with milk. For some reason there is a big push to get rid of real animal products, thus all the almond milks, the impossible burgers, etc. I don't go for it. I think it's a deception created to deflect the fact that Greenhouse Gas is primarily from our transportation habits (30%). Agriculture is only 10% of the total. I'll shut up now. Sorry. . . .☹

good point. In my chocolate reference, I’m referring to the Standards of Identity (SI). Many things have a SI, and pretty sure milk has an SI. The SI are there for consumers to not be mislead and to protect industry from fake productsfrom competing with real. SI have been sought out by industry ... for example margarine and butter, or White chocolate (cocoa butter vs veg fat). it is possible that the nut milks are labelled “does not contain dairy” or similar. there is a product called “muscle milk” - it is a protein drink sold ready-to-drink, non-refrigerated/shelf stable. It clearly states it does not contain dairy. But, I’d have to do some research on the SI. Many things don’t have SI, so consumers can be mislead in those instances.

I agree the whole anti-animal product push is overdone, and frankly, it’s unhealthy. It does feel like a diversion from the bigger causes. I’m often struck by how it’s hard to take environmental advice from the generation feeding their kids from “pouches” of food that dont degrade and contain way more packaging/foil/plastic than the food inside...applesauce pouches and so on.

 

[ocpoolguy]

Glad I decided to check in before giving my chickens left over chocolate chip pancakes. Thanks for the info!

 

[Birdielee]

About 20 years ago a friend and i planned to make fudge. Dark chocolate cherry fudge. Her old golden retriever ate half of a bag of dark chocolate unfortunately. Nothing happened to her, we just worried. I don't know the weight of the bag. 12 oz? 16 oz? The dog was big and the chocolate was dark, but Hershey's-style.

 

[springchick91]

I only know ..... DON'T GIVE ANY CHOCOLATE TO DOGS.. Their heart would beat faster than SAFE and potentially die.. Lots of chocolate and results irreversible.

....

not necessarily. i have a few friends whose dogs have eaten chocolate. its really dependent on the breed and size of dog.

 

[Mtnboomer]

Please keep in mind while reading all these posts that while helpful, most "toxic" things to chickens will not actually be eaten by them when they have healthy alternatives to feed upon. Chickens are very good at avoiding the bad stuff on their own.
I have probably given everything in these lists to my chickens via table scraps from both meal preparation and plate scraping. Yet they survive.

My yard, woods, and fields are filled with dozens of toxic plants that my chickens have access to and feed around daily. Yet they survive.

Chickens may sample or taste something toxic but just because something contains a toxin, and they consume it, doesn't mean they will die ir even have ill effects. Usually the amount needed to be consumed is far greater than what they actually eat.

Most cases may end in diarrhea at worst. UNLESS they have a poor diet or insufficient amount of food, or other medical conditions. Then their consumption may be greater or the effects greater.

So heed the warnings but slso take them with a grain of salt.

 

[Mtnboomer]

not necessarily. i have a few friends whose dogs have eaten chocolate. its really dependent on the breed and size of dog.

Had a dog that would gorge herself on grapes straight off the vine. She was a 60lb choc lab that lived to be 17yrs old.

Another dog ate an entire box of girl scout cookies....literally. the cardboard box, plastic tray and wrapper, and all the chocolate mint cookies. No problem with the chocolate but the packaging did create a blockage. She eas another chocolate lab who passed at 18yr old.

Darn labs!

 

[Birdielee]

Mtn boomer, that's funny! What a crazy.dog. goofballs.