What your chickens can and can't eat!

[ChookaPete]

My chooks go MAD eating my Red Ice Plant! (Coppery mesemb, Malephora crocea). It used to grow prolifically in my front garden, until they gobbled it all up.

Fortunately it still grows well on the outside part of my front garden fence...but then the chooks discovered that too. Whenever I go in and out of the front gate they wait and try to sneak through...


One day I just gave in and let them have a banquet...

 

[BDutch]

This is true.


Occasionally I feed my chooks leftover chips I had bought as part of a takeaway meal from a pub, or a fish & chip shop.


A couple of months ago the chips I was buying happened to be very salty, and disappointingly soggy (just not cooked enough, no crunch).

I noticed that my chooks started actually knocking back the chips! They were like "Nope, had enough. Too salty and too soggy!"

So I stopped buying chips! I bought some last night from a different venue and those were made quite well, so I ate all of those. The next time I go there I'll save some for the chooks to try.



And that is the basis of all this - chickens will not eat poisonous things, and will voluntarily stop eating things when the levels approach toxicity (unless there is NOTHING else available for them to eat, including grass and bugs etc.).

To give your chickens unhealthy food on purpose, is never a good idea. Neither is treating yourself on salty snack food.

 

[Grandpaps]

Potato?

 

[NatJ]

Potato?

Green* potatoes are as toxic to chickens as they are to people (one bite is not deadly, but don't eat a lot of it.) Potato leaves & fruits have the same toxin as green potatoes, generally in larger quantities.

Chickens seem to have no interest in eating raw potatoes, but they are not dangerous if they are not green.

Cooked potatoes are safe for chickens (again, if they are not green). If large amounts of fat or salt were added, those other ingredients should be considered too.

*Technically, the green color is not what makes it toxic, it just happens to form in the same conditions that cause the toxin to form (exposure to sunlight). As a practical matter, potatoes that are not green can be considered safe.

 

[Grandpaps]

Green* potatoes are as toxic to chickens as they are to people (one bite is not deadly, but don't eat a lot of it.) Potato leaves & fruits have the same toxin as green potatoes, generally in larger quantities.

Chickens seem to have no interest in eating raw potatoes, but they are not dangerous if they are not green.

Cooked potatoes are safe for chickens (again, if they are not green). If large amounts of fat or salt were added, those other ingredients should be considered too.

*Technically, the green color is not what makes it toxic, it just happens to form in the same conditions that cause the toxin to form (exposure to sunlight). As a practical matter, potatoes that are not green can be considered safe.

Thank you for the reply and information

 

[KtheChickenGal]

This is helpful, thanks.
Apparently my chickens don't follow the rules though lol... I obviously don't give them poisonous food on purpose, but with them being nosy, having free ranging time, and a bit inexperienced chicken-sitter, they've eaten nightshade in leaves, avacodo, raw potato, apple seeds, ETC and been fine.

 

[NatJ]

This is helpful, thanks.
Apparently my chickens don't follow the rules though lol... I obviously don't give them poisonous food on purpose, but with them being nosy, having free ranging time, and a bit inexperienced chicken-sitter, they've eaten nightshade in leaves, avacodo, raw potato, apple seeds, ETC and been fine.

Free-ranging chickens are pretty good about avoiding dangerous things.

Sometimes that means they do eat the things, but self-regulate the quantities so they don't have problems.

 

[BonnieBlue]

Now that it's getting warm, mine are all over cucumber. The cukes that are a wee bit overripe for my taste get chilled, then peeled and chopped. I figure that since cucumber has so much water in it, it has to be good for them in hot weather. So far, they find it quite refreshing.