List of food NOT to feed chickens

[MeepBeep]

My chickens love plain yogurt. I give them a bit before bed a few times per week, topped with raw oats. Isn't this okay for them?

Birds are lactose intolerant, so too much dairy can give them the runs and potentially dehydrate them...

BUT, fermented dairy products like yogurt, cheese and sour cream contain much less lactose as the fermentation process converts of that lactose into other sugars, thus drastically reducing the concern for 'runs' as the birds can digest most of those converted sugars, as well as the probiotics, protein and other nutrients in the food...

In the end like most things moderation is the key, and things like yogurt and cheese in moderation are perfectly fine...

FYI, NEVER feed your birds 'lactose free' dairy products, the industrial process used to remove the lactose for human consumption leaves behind chemicals that are highly toxic to birds...

 

[zman173rd]

I've had chickens for years, different breeds and just as a hobby and free (yeah right) fresh eggs. I see some say no white potatoes or bread. Potatoes but not that often, only when we have leftovers. And Bread? I go to the local bread store and buy day old,, I mean really only a day old. 5$ for a basket full. The chickens go crazy over it. I have 12 chickens and three roosters. I usually give have of a hamburger or hot dog bag in the morning and maybe the other half in the evening. They've never shown any ill effects. In summer I'll dry it out so it doesn't go bad, although they like the softer fresher better. The rest I would guess is the same as many indoor birds. I don't give my parrots avocados onions, garlic and other things we wouldn't normally eat. Matter of fact the parrots eat pretty much the same as we do at dinner time. They get their own bowls or raise a ruckus. My chickens just love rice and noodles, but I see here that's also a no no. Play it safe mam'.

 

[MamaNGiz]

Why can they not have citrus? and I have read other feed that says garlic added to ground pumpkin seed with buttermilk and carrots is a natural dewormer, or even added to their water by soaking a clove overnight. ???? Also I read early on when we first got our chickens not to give raw potato peals and avocados due to toxic ingredients. in essence they get what we get with these 2 exceptions (and no overly sweet, salty or processed or artificial food, just because I don't think they're healthy for anyone or thing). Another thing I avoid is chicken - it just seems wrong. lol. and btw cooked potatoes are just fine.

 

[MamaNGiz]

Mine get spinache, greens, kale in moderation as well. They go crazy for it. and dandelion greens are amazing for their health.

 

[MeepBeep]

Why can they not have citrus?

They can have citrus in moderation... As I keep saying a vast majority of these 'no' food list are hogwash nonsense...

 

[crealbilly]

Both my chickens and turkeys LOVE dried crushed habenro pepper flakes. I had a turkey tom come down with blackhead, cheyenne pepper made him no worse or no better but when i loaded up a eye dropper of seeped habenero pepper and squirtred down his throat he got better in a few days. He is healthy as the rest of the turkeys today. I now sprinkle it on their food once a month as a preventative for blackhead. Haven't had a problem with blackhead since, nor have i had a problem with worms either - since starting the habenero monthy schedule

I initially thought they might crap out fire but they seem to actually love dried habenro flakes on the morning

As far as feeding them scraps, they are pretty smart and only eat what they want and leave the rest.

 

[MamaNGiz]

I hear what you're saying about citrus in moderation, but what about citrus makes it unsafe enough to limit it? I just had never heard this before.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I find that most chickens know what to eat and what not to eat in moderation. Here's my list of actually toxic foods.

Chocolate is a poison. It's from the cocoa plant, the same as cocaine. It's toxic for humans too. It just to happens the lethal dose is about 2lbs for humans. It's much less for chickens.

Anything that changes a human's mental state should be avoided. This means coffee,energy drinks, tobacco, etc. It should go without saying but these are technically drugs, and the overdose level for chickens is surprisingly small. They only weigh a few lbs so take care.

Onions, nightshades (the plant parts), avocado and citrus go into my compost with my chickens, but they avoid them. If yours don't, don't give them access to them as more than a little can be toxic.

That's it. Those are the things that are actually legitimately TOXIC to chickens. Can chickens get sick from other foods? Sure. Can those illness complicate into death? Yes. But are they actually toxic? No. Kinda like how hot peppers are not toxic. But eating a few hot peppers can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, dehydration, even sore throats or eye irritation, etc. But hot peppers are not toxic.

(FYI, about citrus http://www.furrytips.com/can-chickens-eat-oranges/)

 

[MeepBeep]

I initially thought they might crap out fire but they seem to actually love dried habenro flakes on the morning

Birds, including chickens lack the pain receptors to for capsicum, thus they don't feel the heat, hotness or any irritation from peppers, you could spray a chicken with pepper spray and it wouldn't phase them...

 

[Lisa K]

I five my chickens about 1 & 1/2 inches of the asparagus stocks ground up with apple peels, squash, rice or pasta, cabbage, carrots & celery. I add in about 2 table spoons of whole oregano to about 10 cups of mix. They eat every morsel. I also make them mint water by soaking the mint leaves in a large apple juice jug, then pour into 1 of their water feeders and they have 1 just plain water & the mint water wins Everytime.