Onions

[Madhouse Pullet]

Since being on BYC, I've learned through reading posts/threads that onions are toxic to chickens. I haven't done extensive research but a quick search online would agree "onions are toxic to chickens."
So of course I stayed away from giving them any.

I was talking to a lady at the store recently who said she gave her chickens food scraps, onions included, and never had any issues. This got me thinking; are there exceptions to this onion toxicity? Are cooked onions less toxic? Is it safer in small amounts?

I wouldn't want to chance it but, it might be good to know.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Since being on BYC, I've learned through reading posts/threads that onions are toxic to chickens. I haven't done extensive research but a quick search online would agree "onions are toxic to chickens."
So of course I stayed away from giving them any.

I was talking to a lady at the store recently who said she gave her chickens food scraps, onions included, and never had any issues. This got me thinking; are there exceptions to this onion toxicity? Are cooked onions less toxic? Is it safer in small amounts?

I wouldn't want to chance it but, it might be good to know.

You have discovered that the internet is often wrong. That's an excellent start.

Yes, in moderation, chickens can eat onions. Scallions. Garlic. Other Alliums. Will they? In my experience, not really, and certainly not in significant quantity unless they have no other source.

They have very limited nutritional value. Less than a rounding error on most metrics.

Cooking reduces the concerns, but also the nutrition (which is already, in essence, a rounding error). Pickling, much the same.

When you throw kitchen scraps to the birds after dinner, do you need to pick out the onion first??? Nope, not at all.

When you come out the next morning and find the outer ring of the onion too tough for most recipes, but nothing else of last night''s kitchen scraps, shoud you be surpised? Nope, not at all.

 

[Madhouse Pullet]

Thank you everyone for your replies! I'm kind of relieved there's one less thing to worry about when giving the chickens scraps.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

My observation is that if even half of the foods that were "toxic to chickens" were actually toxic to chickens, chickens would be long extinct.

 

[Sally PB]

https://cs-tf.com/can-chickens-eat-onions/
Interesting info here with links to several studies.

 

[Madhouse Pullet]

My observation is that if even half of the foods that were "toxic to chickens" were actually toxic to chickens, chickens would be long extinct.

Right!

 

[tripletfeb]

So, I planted my onion sets today. Well, most of them, I ran out of space for about ten. So, not thinking, I left the bag of ten onion sets out and the chickens were out. They got into and ate them all! Do I need to worry about them? The sets were pretty little so I hope not. Dumb chickens

 

[AidKD]

So, I planted my onion sets today. Well, most of them, I ran out of space for about ten. So, not thinking, I left the bag of ten onion sets out and the chickens were out. They got into and ate them all! Do I need to worry about them? The sets were pretty little so I hope not. Dumb chickens

No, I think they'll be just fine! If they were toxic to the chickens then they wouldn't have eaten them.

 

[tripletfeb]

No, I think they'll be just fine! If they were toxic to the chickens then they wouldn't have eaten them.

I hope so

 

[Madhouse Pullet]

I hope so

I hope so, too! I know how nerve-wracking it can be! From reading the article below, your chickens should be fine but, I am not an expert on the matter. I hope your flock carries on as normally and I hope you share your experience. It could help someone else in a similar situation.

https://cs-tf.com/can-chickens-eat-onions/
Interesting info here with links to several studies.