Do chickens have taste buds?

[IamRainey]

I made shakshuka last night. Lots of trimmings from chilis in my chicken bowl this morning. That would include the hottest parts -- the seeds and ribs I trim off because they're too hot for us.

I don't feed my chickens any citrus but just about everything else goes in their bowl. They always eat it but do the chilis burn their mouths and digestive tracts? Wouldn't want to do that!

 

[Henry&Friends]

Nope. We grew Carolina reapers, and the chickens kept beating us to them!

 

[Acre4Me]

Chickens do not sense the burn of peppers. Also, they have very few taste buds, overall, so they don’t really “taste” things. I used to work for a big company with a feed division and through work with that group came to learn that chickens have few taste buds. Texture is a different thing, as is the way a chicken’s brain is hardwired to see movement (bugs, etc) or find food (seeds or similar like a crumble or pellet) or just see anomalies to peck at, hoping they are food. But, as far as taste buds- chickens don’t have many.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Birds aren't reactive to capsaicin, that's why they can eat peppers without issue.

I'm sure they have taste buds, because otherwise they wouldn't turn their nose up at food they don't like. Though how many and how complex their sense of taste is, I don't know.

 

[Goats4life]

Chickens do have taste buds, but very few. They don’t really care about how anything tastes either, at least our chickens don’t.

 

[chickens really]

Remember what goes in...Must come out too. ..

 

[EggSighted4Life]

They always eat it but do the chilis burn their mouths and digestive tracts? Wouldn't want to do that!

I have received burns similar to sunburns just from handling peppers. While it's true they don't have capsaicin receptors like my hands don't, I personally would not overdo it for fear of causing internal damage.

 

[IamRainey]

Thanks to all of you for your help. I feel much better about letting them have what they'll eat now.

 

[chickens really]

Well if they start singing Jonny Cash, Ring of Fire you'll know it wasn't right for them....

 

[IamRainey]

(that's not me being angry, you know, that's my chickens spontaneously combusting)(...only I hope NOT!)