If you are a new owner of backyard chickens, it is possible you have wondered which kitchen scraps are safe to give chickens and which are best avoided. Surprisingly, even if you give chickens foods that are not safe for them to eat, it's likely that they won't eat them anyway. Chickens seem to be surprisingly cluey in deciding what to eat and what foods are not good for their health.
Should I feed by chickens meat?
Chickens are omnivores, which means that they naturally eat both meat and vegetables.. So giving chickens meat is quite alright. Even if you do not intentionally give your chickens meat, they would likely be regularly eating meat anyway in the form of insects, worms or perhaps a mouse. Protein from such meats as well as protein that is found in layer pellets is necessary in their diet.
Should chickens eat citrus or banana?
Most chicken owners would say that chickens simply avoid these. Like us, chickens love the flesh of most fruits, but don't tend to like the peels. Rather than give these peels to your chickens, place these in the compost heap.
What about green potato skins?
Chickens will happily eat left over chips or mashed potato or even potato skins, although some chickens are found to be fussier than others. The part of the potato that should not be given to your chickens is the potato skin if it has gone green. The green indicates that the starch has begun to be broken down into a toxin. This green on a potato indicates the toxin 'solanine' (although the green itself is chlorophyll and is in itself harmless). This toxin is a glycoalkaloid poison found in species of the nightshade family, to which potatoes as well as tomatoes belong. While peeling the skin from the potato will remove most of the toxin, it's best not to feel your chickens any green potatoes or their skins.
Can my chickens eat their own eggshells?
Calcium is an important part of your chickens' diet as it helps in producing eggs with a nice strong shell. The chickens can easily break eggs with a thin shell, which can then result in the chickens eating their own eggs. A cost effective source of calcium for your chickens is their own empty eggshells. Make sure these are crushed nice and small and easy for your chickens to eat. An alternative is shell-grit which provides a slow-release source of calcium for your chickens.
What about weeds or lawn cuttings?
Definitely give your chickens green weeds from your garden as these are a source of vitamins and can contribute carotenoid pigments for yolk colour. Remember if you've sprayed your weeds or lawns obviously don't give these to your chickens. It's also worth noting that lawn clippings from the lawn mower can cause problems in chickens known as an 'impacted crop'. As a chicken eats a range of foods their 'crop' fills up and at night the crop empties into the gut. If chickens eat large lengths of grass clippings, these many form into a ball in their crop, preventing them from then eating properly. This problem doesn't occur if chickens are left to peck at the uncut lawn themselves as they will eat small pieces of lawn at a time. So make sure your grass cuttings are nice and short if you are planning to feed them to your chickens, otherwise save them for the compost heap.
Layer Pellets - important for a balanced diet
A balanced diet for your backyard flock is very important and can generally not be obtained from only kitchen scraps or garden weeds. For really healthy chickens, do not restrict the amount of layer pellets or grain mix that you chickens eat in a day. Chickens do not overeat and need a regular supply of feed to satisfy their nutritional requirements. A self-feeder with a regular supply of feed is recommended and used by most owners of backyard chickens. Most laying chickens eat approximately 120g layer pellets or grain mix per day or around 850g per week, but depends on the quantity of other scraps or grasses that they are also supplied with.
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