The 'wisdom' of Reddit: "It's completely fine to give your chickens French fries"

[ShrekDawg]

One reason pigeons and seagulls go after human food is because of their own lack of food. Both are not uncommonly born without feet or have leg issues. Many have imbalance in nutrition which leads to a high death rate in chicks. They're too prolific for their own good. I love both birds, but the fact of nature being that there are too many for the area they occupy to the point of common disease is very sad. Still, feeding them fried salty starches is only helping them fill their bellies in the short run, while in the long run it is detrimental to their health.

That’s so sad! I had no idea.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Gulls are suspiciously well-mannered up here. I have an entirely un-thought-through theory that the ravens keep them in check.

Sounds like a Harry Potter storyline.

 

[Altairsky]

Sorry hate to say but fries are also a nightshade and chickens shouldn’t eat nightshade.

My chickens eat raw eggplants. I was like "well I only have eggplants in the vegetable garden in this season, they're poisonous to chickens so they won't eat them for sure, let's open the garden to the chickens." Then the chickens proceed to eat all my eggplants fruits.
"well they tasted them, they learned they're disgusting and won't touch them anymore"
Chickens proceed to eat all of them.

 

[Perris]

readers of this thread might enjoy this item from one of our daily rags, with some choice photos

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/science...ecret-preventing-seagulls-stealing-chips.html

Can't help noticing the mention that gulls are not particularly interested in vegetables , like most chickens of my acquaintance.

 

[CherishedFowlGuardian]

My chickens eat raw eggplants. I was like "well I only have eggplants in the vegetable garden in this season, they're poisonous to chickens so they won't eat them for sure, let's open the garden to the chickens." Then the chickens proceed to eat all my eggplants fruits.
"well they tasted them, they learned they're disgusting and won't touch them anymore"
Chickens proceed to eat all of them.

Ya I put netting over my plants i don’t want chickens to eat because chickens eat what they want and they don’t listen if you ask them not to.

 

[K0k0shka]

If the potatoes are cooked they are okay. Tomatoes in moderation are okay, too.

Red ripe tomatoes are absolutely fine, as the solanine drops to pretty much nothing when the fruit ripens. People have been cultivating nightshades for human consumption for thousands of years, and the versions we have today, eaten in the way humans eat them, are perfectly safe from a solanine standpoint - that was the whole point of domesticating them and reshaping them to where they are no longer poisonous.

As for the reddit thread, whether or not you should feed your chickens fries is pretty much the same as whether or not you should feed your kids donuts. Every once in a while it's fine, but don't overdo it, not because fries or donuts are poisonous, but because they are unhealthy in large amounts.

 

[JedJackson]

Red ripe tomatoes are absolutely fine, as the solanine drops to pretty much nothing when the fruit ripens. People have been cultivating nightshades for human consumption for thousands of years, and the versions we have today, eaten in the way humans eat them, are perfectly safe from a solanine standpoint - that was the whole point of domesticating them and reshaping them to where they are no longer poisonous.

As for the reddit thread, whether or not you should feed your chickens fries is pretty much the same as whether or not you should feed your kids donuts. Every once in a while it's fine, but don't overdo it, not because fries or donuts are poisonous, but because they are unhealthy in large amounts.

Moderation is key for pretty much anything. Tomatoes are sugary and chickens don't need the vitamin C. As snacks they're fine but not as a major food source. But I think that's obvious to everyone.

I do find it strange that people would give fries to their chickens. I never have them at home, only when out to eat, so maybe that's why I was surprised. I wonder if they like onion rings?