Peppers

[miamaefarms]

Can I feed my chickens peppers??

 

[eggbert420]

Do they like peppers?

 

[dheltzel]

Peppers of all kinds are great for birds. The dried fruit of wild peppers (very picante) are a staple of bird's diets in their native areas. Birds lack the receptors to sense capsaicin (the "hot" in hot peppers) and so could eat ghost or habenero peppers with no effect. Birds also do not digest the pepper seeds, but rather "poop them out", those spreading the peppers genetic material. Mammals do digest the seeds, so they are worthless for seed distribution, hence peppers have a targetted repulsion chemical (capsaicin) to get the mammals to leave it's fruit for the birds.

 

[eggbert420]

Peppers of all kinds are great for birds. The dried fruit of wild peppers (very picante) are a staple of bird's diets in their native areas. Birds lack the receptors to sense capsaicin (the "hot" in hot peppers) and so could eat ghost or habenero peppers with no effect. Birds also do not digest the pepper seeds, but rather "poop them out", those spreading the peppers genetic material. Mammals do digest the seeds, so they are worthless for seed distribution, hence peppers have a targetted repulsion chemical (capsaicin) to get the mammals to leave it's fruit for the birds.

 

[lpfdco237]

I tossed in a piece of red pepper that was destined for my compost pile and the girls ran from it like it was the boogyman. They actually huddled in the opposite corner until I took it away. Guess that's where they come up with the phrase "being a chicken".

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I feed my girls lots of peppers, both hot and sweet, and they enjoy them. So far, no pepper plants growing in the run, but they tend to mow anything green the second it appears.

 

[miamaefarms]

Thanks!

 

[Clark Fowl Fans]

I tossed in a piece of red pepper that was destined for my compost pile and the girls ran from it like it was the boogyman. They actually huddled in the opposite corner until I took it away. Guess that's where they come up with the phrase "being a chicken".

omg too funny! My hens like them, but sometimes act this way with anything new, so i tend to throw in a mix of stuff to pick at and just watch to see what they leave behind.