What Treats Are Good & Bad For Chickens?

Just like your furry family members your feathered family members enjoy getting treats too!  But too many treats can reduce egg production, make them fat and may lead to other health problems.

The general rule for how much is too much equates to giving your chickens no more than 10% of their diet. That is roughly about a tablespoon or less of treats per day per chicken.  If you let your hens out daily than you usually do not need to top them up with treats every day.

I have a mobile coop and toss in a few scraps when I can not let the hens out to free range in the afternoon, when it has been a rainy day or simply as a random surprise just before bed time!

Below is a basic guide of what is good and not good for your chickens.

GOOD TREATS:

VEGETABLES FRUIT HERBS & FLOWERS PROTEINS GRAINS & SEEDS
Amaranth Apple Basil Cheese Bread
Beans Banana Cat mint Cottage cheese Cereal
Beetroot Blueberry Clover Eggs (scrambled/boiled)** Chia seeds
Broccoli Cherry Coriander Fish Pasta (cooked)
Cabbage Cucumber Garlic Peanut Butter (unsalted) Noodles (cooked)
Capsicum Grapes Lavender Red meat off cuts Pecans
Carrots Kiwi Marigolds Yoghurt Pumpkin seed
Cauliflower Mango Mint Quinoa
Celery Melon Nasturtiums Rice (cooked)
Corn Peaches Oregano Rockmelon Seed
Cucumber Pineapple Pansies Rolled oats (with warm water)
Kale Plums Parsley Sunflower seeds
Lettuce Pomegranate Rocket Walnuts
Pears Rockmelon Sage
Pumpkin Strawberry Thyme
Silverbeet Tomato
Spinach Watermelon
Sprouts
Squash
Sweet potato
Zucchini

**  Make sure the eggs are not raw, you do not want them getting the taste for their own eggs!

Hot tip: Keep your egg shells, crush them up and bake in the oven for a calcium rich treat.

Warm Pasta On A Winters Day!

BAD TREATS:

Anything rotten or mouldy
Apple seeds
Apricot pits and leaves
Avocado skins and pits
Candy
Chocolate
Citrus
Coffee grounds
Dry beans
Egg plant
Junk food
Peanuts (salted)
Pickles
Potato skins (raw or green)
Raw or dried beans
Rhubarb
Salt (inc salty foods)
Tomato & pototo plants

If you know of any thing else good or bad we would LOVE to know!  Please tell us in our comments section.

If Your Not Sure If Something Is Safe…Have A “Sticky Beak” On Reputable Chicken Forums, Websites or Facebook Group. If In Doubt Go Without!

Author Bio:  Nikki is pack leader at Pressplay Pets, a blog for the modern age pet parent interested in health & care, news, reviews & personal accounts of unconditional love & at times heartfelt pain of pet parenting.  She is also proud mum to cute and cheeky Papillons ‘Amber’ and ‘Indy’! 

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1 Response

  1. Ellen says:

    Hi Nikki – thanks for the update

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