CHICKEN TREATS



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Your comments and feedback are welcome—please post them on: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/feedback-on-learning-center-treats-chart.21530/#post-188621 This is a list of almost everything you can feed a chicken. However, everybody's chickens have their own tiny brains full of likes and dislikes, so while one person's chickens may come running for grapes or watermelon, another person's chickens may turn up their pointy little beaks at it. Anything on this list is safe to feed and worth a try.

At the bottom of the page are things you should avoid feeding your chickens.

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Treat



Type General Opinions Apples Raw and applesauce Apple seeds contain cyanide, but not in sufficient quantities to kill.

Asparagus

Raw or cooked

Okay to feed, but not a favorite. Bananas

Without the peel High in potassium, a good treat. Beans

Well-cooked only, never dry Also, greenbeans.

Beets

Greens also. .

Berries

All kinds A treat, especially strawberries.

Breads

All kinds—this is a good use for stale bread or rolls.

Feed starches in moderation.

Broccoli & Cauliflower

. Tuck into a suet cage and they will pick at it all day.

Cabbage & Brussels Sprouts

Whole head Hang a whole cabbage from their coop ceiling in winter so they have something to play with and greens to eat.

Carrots

Raw and cooked They like carrot foliage too. Catfood * (see bottom of page) Wet and dry Feed in strict moderation, perhaps only during moulting * (see bottom of page) Cereal

Cheerios, etc. Avoid highly sugared cereal such as Cocopuffs, etc.

Cheese Including cottage cheese Feed in moderation, fatty but a good source

of protein and calcium Cooked Chicken

.

They may like it and it won’t kill them, but it just seems so... ummm… wrong. Corn On cob and canned, raw and cooked .

Crickets (live) Can be bought at bait or pet-supply stores. Great treat—provides protein and it’s fun

to watch the chickens catch them. Cucumbers

Let mature for yummy seeds and flesh.

Eggs Hardcooked and scrambled are a good source of protein, and a favorite treat. Feed cooked eggs only because you don’t want your chickens to start eating their own raw eggs. Eggplant .

.

Fish/Seafood Cooked only. . Flowers Make sure they haven't been treated with pesticides,

such as florist flowers might be. Marigolds, nasturtiums, pansies, etc. Fruit Pears, peaches, cherries, apples . Grains Bulgar, flax, niger, wheatberries,etc. .

Grapes Seedless only. For chicks, cutting them in half makes it easier for them to swallow.

Great fun—they are the chief cause of many entertaining "chicken keep away" games. Grits Cooked . "Leftovers"

Only feed your chickens food items which are still considered edible by humans, don't feed anything spoiled, moldy, oily, salty or unidentifiable. . Lettuce / Kale Any leafy greens, spinach collards, chickweed included. A big treat, depending on how much other greenery they have access to.

Mealworms

(see photo after the chart)

Available at pet supply stores or on the internet,

although shipping is expensive!

A favorite treat, probably the most foolproof

option in the books. Meat scraps of any kind. Not too fatty. A good source of protein in moderation. Melon Cantaloupe, etc. Both the seeds and the flesh are good chicken treats. Oatmeal Raw or cooked Cooked is nutritionally better. Pasta/Macaroni Cooked spaghetti, etc. A favorite treat, fun to watch them eat it, but not much nutrition. Peas Peas and pea tendrils and flowers

(thanks to YayChick for the advice) .

Peppers (bell) .

.

Pomegranates Raw

Seeds are a big treat.

Popcorn Popped, no butter, no salt.

. Potatoes/Sweet Potatoes/Yams Cooked only—avoid the green parts of peels! Starchy, not much nutrition Pumpkins/Winter Squash Raw or cooked Both the seeds and the flesh are a nutritious treat. Raisins . . Rice Cooked only

Pilaf mixes are okay too, plain white rice has little nutrition.

Scratch Scratch is cracked corn with grains (such as wheat, oats

and rye) mixed in. Scratch is a treat for cold weather, not a complete feed. Toss it on the ground and let them scratch for it for something to do. Sprouts Wheat and oat sprouts are great! Good for greens in mid-winter. Summer Squash Yellow squash and zucchini Yellow squash not a huge favorite, but okay to feed.

Sunflower Seeds Sunflower seeds inthe shell are fine to feed, as well as shelled.

A good treat, helps hens lay eggs and grow healthy feathers.

Tomatoes Raw and cooked.

. Turnips Cooked.

Not a huge favorite Watermelon Served cold, it can keep chickens cool and hydrated during hot summers.

Seeds and flesh are both okay to feed. Yogurt Plain or flavored A big favorite and good for their digestive systems. Plain is better.