I've tried searching this and can't seem to find it, but does anyone have a simple list of typical kitchen scraps that are safe for your hens?

[SolaScriptura]

I need something simple that I can just print and put on the refrigerator to help my wife. I don't need details about they don't need too much of this or that. I just need something simple to help us make the feed go farther and reduce our feed bill. Free-ranging is not an option.

 

[NatJ]

But just like dogs, they can't simply have "everything."

Actually, chickens pretty much can have "everything."

If you give them a tiny amount of carefully chosen stuff, they eat every bit, so you should be careful what you give them.

But if you give them everything, they pick and choose the parts they like best, and the other parts get scratched into the bedding to become compost. They are already used to NOT eating their bedding, but scratching through it looking for anything interesting. They use the same skill to sort through kitchen scraps.

Nothing from your kitchen is likely to be SO dangerous that a few bites will hurt them.

People say, avocado peels and pits are toxic, but the flesh is fine. I say, toss the peels and pits to the chickens and watch what happens: they pick out the flesh and don't eat the peel & pit. The same is true for many of the other "toxic" things-- you should not grind it up and hide it in their feed, but just tossing it into the pen is fine, because the parts they "should not" eat are the parts they will not eat anyway.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

I copied/pasted this for you, made a PDF file.
From this website: https://www.newlifeonahomestead.com/what-chickens-can-eat/

 

[NatJ]

To my knowledge there is no actual toxicity studies with backyard chickens on much of anything(exception being moldy chicken feed). There are a lot of extrapolation from other species like dog and cats to chickens.

There are some studies about commercial chickens-- can they include (something) in the chicken feed at a certain rate? That is usually for things that are available cheaply in large quantities, as a byproduct of some other crop.

The usual conclusion is that some is fine, and large amounts may cause problems.

For example:
https://www.researchgate.net/public...nd_haematological_profile_of_broiler_chickens
This one was testing "avocado seed meal" as a chicken feed ingredient.
They decided it was fine at rates up to 1.5% of the diet (which was the highest level they tested.)

 

[SolaScriptura]

I copied/pasted this for you, made a PDF file.
From this website: https://www.newlifeonahomestead.com/what-chickens-can-eat/

Thanks!

 

[ladybrasa]

So … you will get a wide answer on this. And all of it will be antidotal/based on each person’s experience. To my knowledge there is no actual toxicity studies with backyard chickens on much of anything(exception being moldy chicken feed). There are a lot of extrapolation from other species like dog and cats to chickens.

I can only tell you personally my experience, which is they will eat what they like and avoid stuff they don’t. I’ve seen mine eat many things that have been mentioned as toxic or they ignore it. I’ve had toxic weeds grow in their pen - datura and morning glories, can’t keep those things out! - and none have died. The chooks that I have had died, died of something else, though I suppose a toxic substance couldn’t be ruled out 100%. The only thing I will avoid is cooked bones because of the splintering and digestion issues.
But of course, there’s no chance of possible toxicity if they don’t get it in the first place! Just don’t get super anxious if they get a hold of something that might be possibly toxic - chances are they’ll be just fine!

EDIT: actually to amend a little glancing at the links people put up - I won’t give anything with artificial sugars in it. I wouldn’t give alcohol - that’s never come up anyway!

Sorry, EDIT again: I’d only give “everything” to adult chickens, not growing chicks!

 

[Mrs. K]

Hmmm - I hadn't thought of add or using as a sole feed such as a byproduct of some other crop. And I do know of a kitchen worker, that feeds only scraps - probably not great.

But what is basically out of your own kitchen, I too agree, they leave what they don't eat.

Mrs K

 

[Mrs. K]

Mine get everything except potatoes peelings and onions.

 

[SolaScriptura]

Mine get everything except potatoes peelings and onions.

But just like dogs, they can't simply have "everything."

 

[theoldchick]

https://the-chicken-chick.com/5-healthy-treats-for-chickens-and-3-2/ https://the-chicken-chick.com/chicken-treats-guide-dont-love-your/
https://www.heritageacresmarket.com/what-chickens-can-and-cant-eat/