Can Chickens Eat Moldy Cheese?

[DaisyDaGuicken]

Of course not! You could always feed them food that is not as fresh or just leftovers, but moldy food could make them sick and poison them. It is always good to stick on the safe side and stay away from rot and mold.

 

[TOR]

Some molds whether on food or grain can produce toxins. Not all molds are toxic. Some cheeses are made with a specific mold, blue cheese, example.
I personally cut the mold off the cheese before I feed it. I am sure there may have been residual mold on what I fed, very little. Feed in moderation.
I figure this way I bought or incubated my chickens, put time and money into them, Just do not figure 3, or 4 dollars of moldy cheese would be worth it.
I have raised pigs same goes with grain I will not feed moldy grain. Moldy grain can have aflatoxin.

To each their own.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Agree, I would not give them anything visibly moldy. I also do not give my chickens any dairy products other than yogurt once in a while.

 

[SarahGfa]

Some people have all the luck.

Maybe I should go to vegas! I personally don't treat my chickens like babies. I have eaten moldy bread as a kid. There is always a small chance a chicken could drop dead of mycotoxin poisoning, but gosh I would not want to waste 3 pounds of cheese. Another option is to use black soldier fly composting but it sounds like the cheese can't wait.

 

[NatJ]

Our flock free ranges everyday and messes around in the compost, which is not aerated, although I can’t say I’ve ever seen anything moldy in there. They’ve eaten pieces of glass, plastic, and toxic plants, and they’ve been completely fine so far. However, I’m not sure if mold is different, but I would hate to see so much cheese go to waste! It is a full 3 lb bag! Any advice is appreciated!

I would put some of the moldy cheese where the chickens can get it, and see what they do.

You say the the chickens are used to foraging in a compost pile and outdoors, so they are used to making judgements about what is safe to eat.

And if they have a complete chicken feed available free-choice, then they should not be hungry enough to eat something bad for them. (Starving animals make bad choices; chickens with free-choice food are not starving.)

And if you want to feed the cheese to them gradually, you could store the rest in the freezer so it doesn't get any more moldy.

When I buy shredded cheese, I usually store it in the freezer so it won't mold. It means I sometimes have to break up hard clumps to be able to use it, but the cheese itself tastes fine once it thaws again, or after I bake it on a pizza.

 

[alwaystj9]

This doesn't sound good but I would probably pick out the moldy and feed it to the dogs -- not a big wad but sprinkled on their dog food.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I don't ever feed my chickens dairy, nor anything so spoiled that I wouldn't eat it, but:

When I buy shredded cheese, I usually store it in the freezer so it won't mold. It means I sometimes have to break up hard clumps to be able to use it, but the cheese itself tastes fine once it thaws again, or after I bake it on a pizza.

x2. I've seen so many "articles" on yahoo saying not to freeze cheese, but I have a freezer full of shredded or crumble-able cheese, and for cooking purposes it works fine (not so great on a salad though). Certainly better than buying a large bag and then tossing it out.

 

[WindingRoad]

Maybe I should go to vegas! I personally don't treat my chickens like babies. I have eaten moldy bread as a kid. There is always a small chance a chicken could drop dead of mycotoxin poisoning, but gosh I would not want to waste 3 pounds of cheese. Another option is to use black soldier fly composting but it sounds like the cheese can't wait.

Would you mind too much trying that hypothesis on your children ( not the babies of course) or your self? If the cheese is not to be wasted then eat it yourself and don't waste it. Seems sensible.

 

[SarahGfa]

Would you mind too much trying that hypothesis on your children ( not the babies of course) or your self? If the cheese is not to be wasted then eat it yourself and don't waste it. Seems sensible.

I have eaten moldy cheese before, and here I am, still alive. I don't have kids but I think that is a ridiculous comparison. Chickens can eat things that make children sick. Chickens have higher body temperature and shorter guts so they rarely get food poisoning. Have you noticed that crows and vultures literally eat rotten roadkill?

 

[Jajika]

I can't imagine why I'd give my girls anything that had mold on it. I wouldn't risk it. Not worth it.