What NOT to give chickens?

[watchdogps]

I plan on leaving a container on my counter to toss kitchen scraps in for my chickens. I'd like to make a little list of what should NOT go in there to set in front of it (mostly for hubby who will forget what I tell him instantly if it isnt written down...)

So, what kind of things from a people kitchen should I not give my chickens?

 

[shellybean40]

no avocadoes.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You might look toward the bottom of this chart for what not to give them.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart

Pay attention when you read the chart. Potato peelings are fine. Green potato peelings are not. Cooked beans are fine. Uncooked beans are not.

It is not like they will immediately fall over dead when they eat most of these things. In small amounts, they generally don't bother the chickens that much. And a lot of time the damage is gradual over time. They have to keep eating them for a while for them to cause damage. And the damage is not always immediately apparent. A chicken may live for a year with a damaged liver from something it ate, then just fall over dead for no apparent reason. That damaged liver finally gave out.

Use some common sense. Apple seeds, like a lot of fruit seeds, contain cyanide, a deadly poison. But there is not enough in one seed to cause a problem. I do not worry at all about a chicken eating an apple that falls off a tree and eating the seeds too. But when I make apple jelly, I do not dump all those seeds in one place for the chickens to get them. I dispose of them away from the chickens.

Hope this helps a bit. Good luck!