Can I feed strawberries to my chickens?

[feathers_3]

The fruit and veggies haven't hindered their laying one bit. Mine have always laid very large eggs every day, and this hasn't changed at all. I think their favorite is bananas and stale bread. They LOVE bread!!! Oh and lettuce! We don't eat much cabbage so that hasn't been tried, but I hear they love that too.

 

[feathers_3]

I'm new to chickens but have done a lot of research and I thought you were not supposed to feed chickens raw potatoes or any citrus fruit. I also read once that if you feed them fruit it could cause them to stop laying eggs? not sure seams like every one here feeds them fruit.

Well mine evidently don't like the potatoes or the peel any way. And we love oranges here so they never go to waste

 

[amillecay]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-treat-chart-the-best-treats-for-backyard-chickens
I thought this was useful

Wow your right that is very useful for sure!

 

[kalibrarian]

Raw potatoes are *poisonous* to chickens. Apparently they're ok once you cook them, but I would avoid them entirely.

 

[Chemguy]

The skins of raw potatoes contain substances called alkaloids that can be toxic in high amounts. There are more of these substances in the greenish-colored skins than in the normal brown, yellow or red skins. Cooking mostly destroys these substances.

All raw potatoes contain the alkaloids in varying amounts, to differing degrees...even among potatoes of the same type. The greenish skins are found on potatoes that have grown at the surface of the soil, instead of beneath the soil.

It's the dose that makes the poison. The dose needed to cause problems in a 6 lb. chicken is lower than the dose needed to cause problems in a 170 lb. human. So, the occasional raw potato that is high in alkaloids might cause problems in my flock. Since I can't look at a potato and tell if there are lots of alkaloids, I play it safe by providing only cooked skins to my birds.

 

[zstewart123]

I feed my chickens the strawberry tops after I cut them to freeze. I gave them watermelon yesterday for the first time. Usually whenever I put treats they fight each other over them. For watermelon, they all found a spot to stand and ate until it was gone. You would swear they were sitting at a table! Not one moved an inch! I cut up the rest of the rind and threw it in a bucket in the freezer. I figure it will be a good treat during the summer.

 

[kalibrarian]

I'm a chicken newbie, but I read that in both of the chicken books I have. That's probably why the chickens avoided it when you offered it to them....they're smarter than one would think!

 

[gickelvolk]

Pears......

 

[tracylo09]

Grapes and strawberries are my girls favourite too (along with meal worms), not tried watermelon yet will have to give it a go sounds like a popular favourite

 

[weeders n feeders]

Our chickens love Blueberries. It also helps that the bushes are in there pen. It is fun to watch them hop to get some. They eat them green and ripened. The bushes are big enough that the chickens get the bottom, we get the middle and the song birds get the top. These bushes also give thme wonderful shade for the hot summer.